


Turning Point

by Jld71



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Biting, Blood Drinking, Bottom Jensen Ackles, Death, Dubious Consent, Fighting, Hurt Jensen Ackles, M/M, Mating, Top Jared Padalecki, Unwanted attention, Vampire Turning, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-30 00:36:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21419302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jld71/pseuds/Jld71
Summary: If Jared doesn't take a mate, someone he can bond with, tether himself to, he will go insane. His insanity can also cause his coven to suffer the same fate, if in his insanity, he doesn't kill himself, which would ultimately end the blood link he shares with them, causing those he's sired to die if they haven't taken a mate.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JJ1564](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JJ1564/gifts).

> Do Not Re-Post Without My Written Permission - Only To Be Posted On My AO3 Or LiveJournal Accounts.
> 
> Written for the 2019 SPN_Cinema Challenge.  
Based on the movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1781947/ Vampire Boys.  
Beta: yonkyu

Jared stood with his back to his friends, the three people he cared for most in this world. He looked out over the darkened night sky as Chad, Mike and Christian spoke amongst themselves. He had learned many years ago how to tune them out, but today he was having a hard time doing so. Their murmurs continued to break through his thoughts, making it difficult for him to pinpoint what had him in such a foul mood. He had eaten, so thirst wasn’t a problem for him. While his body didn’t need sleep, he had rested for a few hours, so he knew it wasn’t exhaustion, not like what a human experienced. The only time his body experienced exhaustion was when he hadn’t fed in a while, usually having gone without blood for a month, or longer. Being a nearly five hundred year old vampire, had its benefits. 

The young ones were sensitive to the sun, while it didn’t burn them, it did force them to remain inside during the day, giving credence to the myth that the sun could kill a vampire and that vampires only came out at night. Little did humanity know that the older vampires, like himself and his coven, were able to blend in, going out during the day. It would have made it difficult for him to own and operate his business if he wasn’t able to walk around during the day. There wasn’t a high demand for bookstores that stayed open past nine at night, even if his store did have a small cafe that offered several types of coffee. He owned other businesses, but his bookstore,  _ Just Another Page _ , was the one he loved and had chosen to run himself.

The only way to truly kill a vampire was by decapitation. Driving a stake through the heart of a vampire or setting one on fire, throwing Holy water at one, or displaying a cross to a vampire and using garlic to ward of a vampire were also myths, ones he found quite funny, and he had to thank Hollywood and the likes of Bram Stoker for perpetuating them. The idea of a vampire not being able to see their reflection was ridiculous, he had to be able to see himself in a mirror in order to style his hair. There was no way it looked that good all on its own. The myths about vampires having heightened senses, incredible speed and strength, along with needing to drink blood were all true. While he held sway over those he had sired, he couldn’t read or influence a human’s thoughts, which would have come in handy over the years if he had been able to. 

He was brooding, he knew that. The thing he didn’t know, was why. He had a good life, a nice upscale apartment, a few thriving businesses and his small coven which he had sired. He sighed heavily and tried to block out everything around him, which with vampiric hearing, wasn’t always easy. He rested his forehead on the cool glass of the window and closed his eyes, wishing he could find some peace. Maybe if he did, he could figure out what was wrong. Mike’s voice interrupted his plan, forcing him to listen to what was being said. 

“Jared, you know how important this is, we’re relying on you,” Mike whined as he looked up at Jared from the couch he was sitting on. “It doesn’t just affect you, it affects our entire coven.”

Jared slammed his open palm against the glass window, the hammering sound resonated off the glass, causing the other three to wince. He turned and regarded Mike with narrowed eyes. “Don’t you think I know that?” he spat out. “I’m fully aware of how this affects all of us. But I’m not going to pick someone to turn, just to grow our coven, just to ensure our continued existence.”

“I thought you were set with turning Cassie. She’s the new blood we need,” Mike countered back. 

Jared steepled his fingers as his eyes ticked from Mike, to Chad, and then to Christian. “This is my decision to make. You brought Cassie to me, but she’s . . .”

Mike rose from the couch, “She’s perfect. She knows what we are, she’s ready to be turned. She wants this,” he stated as he crossed the living room to stand in front of Jared. He knew he was taking a chance in speaking like this to his sire, despite the mood Jared was in, but he didn’t understand why Jared was dragging his feet in this matter. 

“You think she’s perfect because you brought her to me.” Jared shook his head, “She’s not the one for me.” 

“You know what will happen if you don’t . . .”

“Mike back the fuck off. You can’t force this. Besides, Jared still has plenty of time before his five hundredth birthday rolls around,” Chad added with a cheeky grin. 

Mike turned toward Chad. “You always back him up. Just because he’s our sire doesn’t mean he’s always right. He’s going to doom us to our deaths if doesn’t turn her.”

Christian turned away from the window, “Will you stop your fucking whining! That’s all you ever do.” 

Mike charged at Christian, raising his fist to punch the shorter man in the face. “You fucker!” he screamed as Christian caught his fist with in his hand, twisting his wrist until he was forced to bend to his knees.

“Enough!” Jared growled out, his canines elongated, showing his anger. “Enough, I will not put up with your shit, Mike. Cassie isn’t the one, that’s final,” his deep baritone voice was laced with anger as he spoke. “Don’t test me on this.”

Christian let go of Mike, allowing him to get up. Mike scowled at Christian as he massaged his wrist. He hadn’t sustained an injury, nor was he feeling any pain, but the act was performed from muscle memory, which helped them to blend in among humans. Mike turned to Jared, “You fed from Cassie, you willingly let her believe that you were going to turn her, to take her as your mate. She thinks you want her, you selfish prick.” He backed away from Jared and started for the door. “Fuck you all,” Mike spat out as he stormed out of Jared’s apartment, slamming the door as he left.

“Don’t mind him, he’s a hothead and he’s pouting. He likes Cassie,” Chad stated, trying to diffuse the tension in the room. “Once he feeds, he’ll smarten up.”

Christian snorted. “There ain’t enough blood in LA to smarten that dumb fucker up.” He heard Chad’s laughter, but not Jared’s. He turned to look at Jared who was staring out of the long expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows that made up the far wall of Jared’s living room. “What’s got you troubled?” 

“This is my five hundredth year alive. I have to take a mate by the mark of my turning day, if I don’t . . . if I don’t find someone I can bond with, tether myself to, I will go insane. That can cause this coven to do the same. In my insanity, I could kill himself. If that happens, the blood link shared with those I’ve sired will be severed, resulting in their deaths if they haven't taken a mate. Mike’s right, my decision not to turn Cassie has possibly doomed you all to die.” He rubbed his hand along his forehead, feeling like he was sinking into a hole of despair. It was September, and while his actual birthdate wasn’t until July, his turning birth-date in November was fast approaching. He had been putting off turning Cassie and he knew he needed to do something and soon, he just couldn’t. He knew Cassie was willing to be turned, and to accept him as her mate. Once he did this, mated with Cassie, it would be for the rest of their existence together. He just didn’t want her as his mate, he didn’t feel the desire for her as he had hoped he would have. It was like his body knew she wasn’t the one, like it knew there was someone else out there for him.

He had never meant to sire others, to turn another into a vampire, but he had met Chad Michael Murray three hundred years ago and they had become friends, brothers really and he just couldn’t stomach the idea of losing him. When he had revealed his true nature to the tall, lanky blond, he had thought that Chad would be repulsed, that he would run from him in terror. Chad’s reaction had been just the opposite, he had embraced the notion of becoming immortal and he had turned Chad. Fifty years later he had met Christian Kane and found another kindred spirit. They shared much in common and he found himself siring another fledgling. A hundred years after turning Christian, he had met Michael Rosenbaum and while he had taken a while to warm up to the man, he eventually did and he, Chad and Christian discussed the idea of growing the coven by one more. Mike had been willing to be turned and now, the four of them were at a crossroads. He needed to take a mate, not only for himself, but for the safety of his coven. He needed to make sure his friends remained safe and alive. 

“Are you sure about this? That if you don’t take a mate to bond with that you really will go insane, wither and die? That we will die as a result of that?” Christian inquired, he had heard the whispered rumors, but had never asked until now, since it hadn’t been a concern of his. He knew of other vampire covens, that they weren’t the only ones in the world, but covens tend to be solitary in nature, protecting their chosen area and not extending friendship to another coven for fear of being exposed and possibly losing their source of willing blood donors.

“Yes, I saw it happen many years ago. The entire coven perished because their sire refused to take a mate. She went insane, refused to feed from humans. She claimed their blood was tainted, impure and would kill her. Her coven tried to reason with her, they tried to get her to feed from livestock instead, but she refused. Then, as her grip on reality weakened, she became convinced that the only way for her to survive and to save her coven was to feed from them. She did, weakening them since she forbade them to feed from humans and animals. The night she lost her mind, she beheaded her entire coven, twelve vampires lost their lives that night, including her. I watched as my sire cleaved her head from her shoulders.” Jared shuddered at the memory of seeing the bodies, of watching as Jeffrey Dean Morgan, JD as he preferred to be called, raised the bloody axe she had used on her own coven and swung, removing her head from her body. He could still remember the wild look in her eyes and the heartbreak in JD’s as he took his own sister’s life. 

“We got there too late,” he murmured, lost in his memories of the past. He turned away from Chad and Christian to stare out the window. “Thankfully, JD already had a mate before he even sired me, or we wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation. Lila sired JD. We had been out of the country when he had been informed of her refusal to take a mate. We rushed back hoping to reason with her, hoping there was still time, but . . .” he let his words die off. The memories, even though they were over four hundred years old, were still painful. 

“So what are you going to do?” Chad asked. “Because, not to push you or anything, I kind of like being alive, well undead. I like existing.” He watched as Jared turned back to him, a wry smile on his lips. “Hey!” he yelled out when Christian slapped the back of his head.

“Stupid fucker,” Christian hissed at him and then shook his head.

Jared turned back to Chad and Christian upon hearing Chad’s cry. He eyed Christian who only smirked at him as Chad rubbed the back of his head. “There’s someone out there who’s meant to be my mate. I can feel it,” he said with a weary sigh. “I just need to find him . . .”

Christian and Chad exchanged a meaningful glance with each other, they hadn’t missed the word ‘him’ that Jared had used. While Jared had sired them, they had never slept with him, Jared had never expected it from them, had never even looked at any of them in that way. And for the three of them, it would have been too much like incest if Jared had shown any interest in taking any of them to bed. Over the years, Jared had spent many nights with women and men in his bed, but he never seemed to lean toward one gender over the other, while Chad, Mike and Christian had made their preferences known, none of them had ever slept with a man.

“Him?” Chad asked, breaking the silence of the room.

Jared looked at Chad in confusion. “Him?”

“You said you just needed to find him,” Christian answered. 

“So, do you think your mate is a guy?” Chad raised his hands in front of him in supplication. “Nothing wrong in that, man. We don’t care in the least, never have, who you spend time with.”

“Yeah, we just want you to be happy,” Christian cut in.

Jared raised his hands and ran them through his hair and then shrugged. “When I close my eyes, I’ve gotten these glimpses; green eyes, plush lips, light brown hair and freckles. I can never see a full face. It’s driving me crazy, but I get a sense of the features belonging to a man, a younger man,” Jared supplied in answer to Christian and Chad’s inquiries.

“Christ Jared, all humans are younger than you,” Chad quipped, causing the three to laugh. 

Jared smiled, “Yeah, you got me there.” He felt his mood lifting as he looked at his friends. “Look, you’re more than my coven or even friends, you’re my family.” He sighed as the smile slipped from his lips. “If I can’t find this person by my birthday, I will take Cassie as my mate. I won’t doom any of you to death.”

“Jared . . .” Christian started to say, but was stopped when Jared held up his hand.

“My decision is made. If it was just me, I wouldn’t care. I’d contact JD, have him do to me what he did to Lila, but it’s not. Let Mike know he has nothing to worry about,” he said as he turned his back on Christian and Chad and walked into his bedroom. “Lock up when you leave,” he called to them as he made his way into the bathroom, stripped off his clothing and started the shower.

Hearing the shower being turned on, Chad turned to Christian, “What do we do? We can’t just let him mate with Cassie, he’ll be miserable.”

“We help him find this guy. Light brown hair, green eyes, freckles and plush lips; it’s not much to go on, but you’re right, we can’t let him take Cassie as his mate.” Christian dug his phone out of his pocket and placed a call, waiting until the line was picked up. “Rosey, you asshole,” he said when the call had been answered.

“Fuck you, Kane,” Mike retorted. “What do you want?”

“For you to stop being a dumbass, but looks like I’m not gonna get my wish any time soon,” Christian growled into the phone.

“Yeah, and I repeat, fuck you,” Mike spat into the phone. “So, if we have nothing else to say to each other right now, I’m hanging up so I can go find my next meal.”

“Wait,” Christian said. “Look, Jared has agreed to take Cassie as his mate by his birthday.”

“He did?” Mike asked excitedly.

“Yeah, but here’s the catch, he has a feeling that his mate, his real mate is out there. Just give it a little time and don’t push him. You know he’d never turn his back on any of us, he’d never let us die. Try not to get on his nerves, or ours for that matter. If Jared finds his mate, maybe there’s a chance for you and Cassie,” Christian taunted Mike with the possibility.

“Maybe,” Mike said thoughtfully. “Oh, gotta go, I think my next meal just walked in.”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Christian advised before he ended the call.

Chad stood up from the couch, grabbed his jacket and slipped in on. “So?” he asked as he walked toward the door. With his hand on the doorknob, he turned back to Christian, an expectant look on his face.

“Rosey’s cool. I think it was more that he doesn’t want to lose Cassie, aside from the unpleasant idea of possibly dying,” Christian reasoned as he followed Chad out into the hallway, making sure the door to Jared’s apartment was locked before they made their way to the elevator. “Hungry?”

“Always,” Chad responded as he pressed the button to bring them to the ground level. 

Jared breathed in deeply, and closed his eyes. He could sense that Chad and Christian had left his apartment and were on their way to find their next meal. He knew he didn’t have to worry about them being discreet. They had all learned long ago how to feed from humans without calling attention to themselves. They only took enough blood to sustain themselves and they tried never take a life. It had been well over a hundred years since any of them had killed a human while feeding or even to protect themselves. He opened his eyes, reached for the soap and began to wash himself. When he was done, he stood under the showerhead letting the hot water cascaded over his muscular shoulders. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, letting himself relax, hoping to get another vision of his mate, even a glimpse was better than nothing. He saw an image of closed eyes, framed by dark lashes. “Come on, show me more, show yourself to me,” he muttered when the glance he got ended abruptly. “No!” he yelled as he balled his hand into a fist and slammed it into the shower wall, denting it slightly. “Fuck,” he let out when he saw what he had managed to do wihout meaning to. He turned off the water, grabbed his towel and got out to dry himself off. He pulled on a pair of worn, comfortable sweatpants and padded out to the living room. He paced back and forth, feeling on edge. He wanted to see more, he wanted to see those green eyes, see who they belonged to. He felt like he was going crazy. How could he be seeing these glimpses, and how could he see more? Feeling like the walls were closing in on him, he returned to his bedroom, changed into a tight dark v-neck shirt and black jeans and boots before he bolted from his apartment in search of something to occupy his mind with. He found it at a club where he was able to pass the night away on the dance floor before enticing some wanna-be actress into a darkened corner where they wouldn’t be disturbed and he could feed until he was sated. 


	2. Chapter 2

Jensen jolted awake, his t-shirt clung to his sweat covered body and his sheet was wrapped around his legs. He could feel his heart beating rapidly as he lay there in his bed trying to figure out what had woken him in a panic. He tried to kick the sheet away, only getting frustrated when it tightened around his calves. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered to himself as he hoisted himself up, his back resting against the headboard, as he tried to untangle himself. Slowly, his breathing and heartbeat returned to normal. He knew part of his anxiety was over starting college classes in the morning. He was a few years older than the average college freshman, having taken a few years off to work, hoping to save enough money to pay for as much of the expenses as he could without taking out a loan. When that failed, he had applied for as many scholarships and grants as possible. Luckily, he had qualified for a few, found a place to live, quit his job and moved from his small hometown in Texas to LA to attend the University of Southern California’s Physical Therapy program. It felt like there was something else bothering him, it was just at the fringe of his thoughts, but he couldn’t quite grasp it. With a soft groan, he forced himself to let it go before he drove himself crazy trying to figure it out. Getting up, he stripped off his t-shirt and made his way to the bathroom attached to his room. He splashed some water on his face before walking to the kitchen for something to drink. He eyed the clock on the microwave, if he was lucky, he could still get another five hours of sleep.

“Hey, what are you doing up this late?” Justin asked as he raised his eyes up from the TV to Jensen as he made his way into the open kitchen for a glass of water. “I didn’t bother you with the TV did I?”

“No, just couldn’t get my thoughts to stop going around in my head. Plus, I had this really strange dream.” The words were out of his mouth before he had even realized he had said them. He hadn’t remembered his dream until now. He realized that was what had been bothering him, his dream. 

“Yeah, a dream about your first day of college?” Justin teased. 

Shaking his head, Jensen laughed. “No, I mean, it wasn’t really a dream, so much as images of some guy. It was really weird because I don’t know him,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. 

“Maybe it was someone you saw on the street and he caught your eye,” Justin returned with a smile and a wink.

Jensen shook his head, “No, trust me, I’d remember this guy. I mean, maybe? They were just flashes of blue-green eyes, broad shoulders, muscular arms and chestnut colored hair, which looked like it ended at his jaw . . .” Jensen bit his bottom lip as he tried to recall more. He gave a sigh as he turned to wash his glass and placed it in the strainer. “I guess I should try to get some more sleep.” He started for his room, leaving the kitchen area, passing through the living room, when he stopped. “Hey, thanks again for letting me stay here. I really appreciate it.”

Justin smiled at Jensen and chuckled. “Dude, it’s no problem. Like I told you when you answered the ad I placed for a roommate, this place is paid for. It was a gift from my parents. The second bedroom was just sitting empty and I’m glad to have the company.”

“Still, rent free . . .” When he had made the decision to go to college and had settled on becoming a physical therapist as his career goal, he had found that USC had one of the best programs for that and leaving Texas had been a great idea. He had needed a fresh start after coming out to his family. His parents hadn’t been cruel to him, but he could tell they weren’t exactly thrilled with his admission. Their relationship had been strained after that and he hoped that by putting some distance between himself and his parents they could begin to rebuild what they had lost. He had searched online for apartments and had nearly changed his mind when he saw the prices, even for a studio apartment, he wouldn’t have been able to afford it on his own. He had come across the listing Justin had placed and contacted him, exchanging emails and getting to know each other to the point where Justin had offered him the vacant room. He had been up front with Justin regarding his sexuality, he hadn’t wanted any issues with his potential roommate and when things fell into place, he had jumped at the chance to move to a place where no one knew him and hadn’t looked back. He had spoken with his parents twice, both times had been pleasant, but he didn’t feel the closeness he once had with them. He wasn’t sure if they would ever be able to rebuild their relationship. The last time he had called, the called had been rushed and he had gotten the feeling that they would have preferred he didn’t call again. 

Justin held up a hand, stopping Jensen. “Like I told you, all you need to do is kick in your half for the utilities, which really won’t be much, and buy your own groceries. So, don’t stress out over it. I’m just glad we hit it off, because it could have been awkward as hell if we didn’t. 

“Yeah, me, too. I’m gonna head back to my room and try to get some more sleep. The morning is gonna come sooner than I want. I’m nervous enough as it is to start classes, I’m probably the oldest freshman there. Then, after that, I gotta start my job at the campus library. At least it’s something,” he offered as he headed back to his room to try and get a few more hours of sleep before his alarm went off.

When Jensen’s alarm went off, he rolled over with a groan and slammed his hand down on his alarm clock. Bleary-eyed, he sat up and rubbed his knuckles in his eyes, trying to clear his vision. He kicked off his blanket, grabbed his clothes and walked to the bathroom where he got himself ready for the day before heading into the kitchen. He grabbed a travel mug, and filled it with coffee before he headed out to his car for his first drive to campus. He had left his backpack in the car the night before so he wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting it. He looked over at it with a smile on his face before pulling out of his parking space.

When he arrived on campus, he found a parking space and headed to his first class, feeling like his life was about to change. He made it through his two classes and the few hours he had to work before he was able to get over to the campus bookstore to pick up the books he needed for his classes. He had contacted the store and managed to have them set aside the books so he would just have to stop in and buy them. He stood patiently at the register waiting for the cashier to return with the books. 

“Here you go,” the cashier, Brody said as he dumped the books onto the counter.

Jensen looked over the stack and frowned. “There’s one missing, my Intro to PT book.”

Brody looked over the order form and then at Jensen. “Sorry, there was some kind of mixup. Looks like it got sold,” he said with a shrug.

“I need that book, is there another one?” Jensen asked as he looked around the store, hoping to see the needed book.

“No, that was the last book. We’ll have another order in, it’ll probably come in about a month from now.”

“A month? I’m taking the class now. What am I supposed to do?” Jensen looked at him expectantly.

“There’s a bookstore a couple blocks away,  _ Just Another Page _ , it might have the book. Sometimes the owner buys used textbooks. You can try there. So, are you buying these or what?” Brody asked as he pointed to the books already on the counter.

“Yeah,” Jensen responded as he handed over his voucher, thankful that his grant also covered the cost of his books as well as most of his living expenses, insurance, utilities and food. Since he didn’t have to pay rent, he hadn’t touched that portion of the money, preferring to leave it in his student account for future use. It wouldn’t cover much as far as an apartment and would only pay a small portion toward a dorm room, so he was thankful that he really didn’t have to rely on that for a place to live.

“Good luck with finding the book,” Brody offered as Jensen grabbed his books and left the store. 

Jensen put the books in his backpack once he was out of the store. He pulled up the bookstore on his phone, got the directions to the store and noticed that it was easier to walk there than drive. A half hour later, Jensen stood outside the large picture window looking at the display of books before he moved to the door, grabbed the handle and pulled open the door and went inside. 

Jensen stood off to the side, looking around himself. The bookstore was like nothing he had seen in Texas. It gave him the impression of stepping back in time. The dark rich wood of the shelves and tables displaying the books were ornately carved with intricate scrolling leaves and was highly polished. His fingers itched to run themselves over the wood, to touch the beautiful carved patterns and then to lovingly rub over the spines of the books. He had grown up with a great appreciation for books. One entire wall of his bedroom back home had consisted of shelves that had housed the books he had read and collected over the years. 

The bell over the door sounded, causing Jared to look up from the books he had been shelving. He watched as a man slipped inside, letting the door close behind him as he looked around. Even with his heightened eyesight, the sun shining through the window made it hard for Jared see the man clearly. When the man shifted, taking a few more steps toward the middle of the store and out of the sun’s rays, Jared inhaled sharply. This was the man from his visions, he was sure of it. How was this even possible? He felt his canines begin to elongate as his mind screamed  _ Mate _ and he fought against the desire to drop the books he was holding, grab the man and sink his teeth into his flesh in order to claim him as his.

A sound drew Jensen’s attention and his head snapped up as he searched for the source of what had caught his attention. He saw a man standing several feet away from him and his breathing quickened. This was the man from his dream, the perfect man he had dreamed about; tall, broad shouldered, muscular, chestnut colored hair. All he wanted to do was throw himself at the stranger. He tightened his grip on the strap of his backpack, praying he didn’t make a fool of himself.

“Hi, can I help you?” Jared asked after he finally got himself under control. He ran his tongue along his teeth, making sure his “fangs” weren’t showing. 

“I hope so,” Jensen replied. “I’m looking for a book.”

Placing the books he had been holding on the shelf, Jared waved his hands out in front of himself. “Well, you’ve come to the right place, but you’ll have to be a little more specific.”

Jensen felt his ears begin to burn as his skin flushed with embarrassment. “Right, uhm, it’s for one of my classes. The campus bookstore is sold out and I was hoping maybe this store carried it, since it’s pretty close to the college. I really need it and I’m screwed if I don’t find a copy.”

“You still haven’t told me what the book is,” Jared replied patiently with a slight smile on his lips.

“I’m an idiot,” Jensen said softly with a shake of his head. “Sorry, it’s Intro to Physical Therapy for the Physical Therapist Assistant. The bookstore on campus was supposed to hold a copy for me, but there was some kind of mix up and they sold it.” He nervously rubbed at the back of his head as he watched the man, hoping he would be able to help him. “They won’t get another shipment in for about a month and I’m taking the class now,” he went on to explain. 

“Let me guess,” Jared said with a dimpled smile, “The campus bookstore pointed you in my direction. Come on, follow me. I have a section of used textbooks.” He turned and led Jensen further into the store. “I can’t promise I have the book, but if I do, it’ll be there.”

Jensen followed the man, trying to remain calm as he did. He wanted to reach out and touch him, making sure the man was real and he wasn’t dreaming. He nearly walked into the man when he stopped in front of a floor-to-ceiling bookcase. “Sorry,” he mumbled and then winced at his stupidity. He was sure he was making the worst first impression imaginable. 

Jared chuckled. “No worries,” he said as he glanced over his shoulder to see wide green eyes looking at him. Green eyes framed by dark lashes, freckles, plump lips, his mind supplied, and he forced himself to turn back to the books before he did something stupid. He ran his fingertips over the spines of the books, hoping he had the book in question. A smile came to his face when his eyes landed on it. “Here we go,” he said as he pulled the book from its resting spot on the shelf and turned to hand it to the man standing behind him. He heard a sigh of relief and noticed the smile that formed on the man’s lips, the ones he wanted to kiss. 

“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver,” Jensen breathed out.

“Jared, and owner of  _ Just Another Page _ .”

“Jensen,” Jensen responded as he scrunched up his face and studied Jared for a moment. “Have we met before? I feel like I know you.”

Jared shook his head. “No, trust me, I’d remember meeting you.” He watched as Jensen blushed. “But, I feel the same way.” They stood there, awkwardly looking at each other until Jared broke the silence. “I should probably ring this up for you.” He pointed at the book and then started to walk to the register, with Jensen following closely behind him. “Okay, that will be fifty dollars,” Jared said and watched as Jensen pulled out his wallet to pay and then paled, causing his freckles to stand out. 

Jensen opened his wallet and counted out the last of his money. He only had thirty dollars in his wallet. He hadn’t taken his credit card with him, thinking he wouldn’t need it since the books were supposed to be purchased on campus with his voucher. “Shit,” he whispered. “I, ah, I don’t have enough. My voucher . . . I’m sorry to have wasted your time,” he said as he pocketed his wallet, tightened his grip on his backpack and turned to leave. He had to get back to campus and figure something out. Maybe if he explained things to his professor, something could be worked out until the campus bookstore got the next shipment in. 

“Hey,” Jared called out. “I thought you needed the book, and that I was your savior.”

Jensen turned back to look at Jared, a sad smile on his lips. “I do and you are, were . . .” He rubbed the back of his head. “Everything’s covered by my grant. I gotta go, see if I can work something out with my professor. I’m sorry.” He turned back to the door, ready to leave when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Seeing the sadness on Jensen’s face had Jared moving to stop him from leaving. He wanted to see him smile again. He couldn’t let Jensen leave, not without getting his address and phone number. He needed to know more about him, other than he was taking a class on physical therapy, which he guessed he was taking at USC. He reached out and grabbed Jensen by the shoulder, needing to stop him before he left. “Tell you what, I’ll lend you the book until you can get your own, if you agree to have coffee with me.”

Jensen’s eyes went round as he listened to Jared’s words. “What?” he asked in disbelief. 

“Have coffee with me, but not here,” Jared said as he waved his hand at the small cafe at the opposite end of his store. Bringing Jensen, the man he thought to be his mate, back to his store wasn’t his idea of the ideal place for their first date. 

“Like a date?” Jensen questioned as he tried to make sense of what was going on. 

“Yes, unless you’re not interested . . .” Jared stopped speaking as he realized how forward he was being. Then another thought popped into his head, what if Jensen wasn’t interested in men. What if he wasn’t interested in him. Not only would that make this exchange between them awkward, it would mean Jensen wasn’t his mate. No, he pushed that thought aside, he was sure Jensen was his mate, he just had to convince him of that before his turning birthday, before he was forced into taking Cassie as his mate to save himself and his coven. “I’d like to get to know you, if you’d let me. We can see if this feeling of knowing each other leads somewhere,” Jared offered with a dimpled smile hoping that would sway Jensen into agreeing to going on a date with him.

“No, I’m interested,” Jensen admitted and then blushed again.

Jared smiled, his dimples out in full force. “Come on, let me get some information from you, I can give you mine and then we can figure out when we can get together.” He walked back to the counter, grabbed a pen and business card and quickly scribbled down his name and cell phone number. He passed the card to Jensen and then advanced the register tape, ripped it off and passed it and the pen to Jensen so he could write down his name and number down. “Just so you know, with me lending you the book, I’m not expecting anything other than having coffee with you.”

Jensen gave Jared a relieved look and then a shy mile. “I have Sunday off, if you’re okay with waiting until then,” Jensen said hopefully. “I’m new here to LA, so I don’t really know where we can go.”

“Sunday’s great and I know just the place. I can pick you up so you won’t have to worry about trying to find it,” Jared offered.

Jensen bit his bottom lip as he mulled over Jared’s offer. Jared was a complete stranger, but he found himself agreeing to have Jared pick him up. He pulled back the paper with his name and number on it and added his address to it before giving it to Jared. “Sunday,” Jensen said softly with a shake of his head. “Are you sure about the book?” he asked as he pointed to the book he needed.

Jared slid the book over to Jensen. “Very sure. I’ll pick you up around three, if that’s alright.”

Jensen gave Jared a blinding smile. “Sounds good. I’m looking forward to it and thanks for lending me the book. You really are my savior.” He glanced over his shoulder and saw a woman approaching the register with several paperback books in her hands. “I should probably get out of your way so you can . . .”

“Run my store,” Jared added with a laugh. “Yeah, I do need to make a living.”

“I’ll see you Sunday,” Jensen called over his shoulder as he made his way to the door. He stopped once he was outside, watching Jared through the window as he waited on the customer.

Jared sensed Jensen watching him and he looked up from the register to see him standing on the sidewalk. He gave Jensen a quick wave and then turned his attention back to the woman standing before him. When he looked up again, Jensen was gone. When he was alone, he grabbed his phone and made a call. He didn’t bother with a hello when the call was picked up. “I met him, my mate. He was here today, in my store.”

“Are you fucking with me?” Chad asked in shock.

“No, his name is Jensen and we’re meeting for coffee on Sunday,” Jared breathed into the phone.

“Jared, that’s incredible. I’ll tell the others and we’ll help you in anyway we can,” Chad offered.

“Thanks, I’ve gotta go. I have close up and then grab a bite to eat,” Jared explained and then ended the call.

Jensen was on a high when he returned home after meeting Jared. He walked into the living room to find Justin watching TV. “Hey,” he said as he passed through to the kitchen where he placed his backpack down on the table. 

Justin looked up to see what Jensen was doing. “What’s with the smile? Have a good first day?”

Jensen blushed as he nodded his head. “Yeah, actually, I did.”

Justin grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. “Okay, spill,” he said as he leaned back against the couch. He threw his arms up over the back of the couch and waited for Jensen to speak.

Jensen ran his fingers over the strap of his backpack. “I had a good day until I went to get my books. There was a mix up and they ended up selling my book that I need for my PT class.”

Justin held up a hand, stopping Jensen from continuing. “Hold on, how does that make it a great day for you? It sounds like you had a shitty day.”

“No, that part was shitty, but I ended up having to go off campus to another bookstore. They had the book. The only thing was, I didn’t have enough money to buy it.”

Justin cut him off again. “I’m still not seeing how this translates into a good day.” 

“The owner, Jared, offered to let me borrow the book until I can get one from the campus bookstore,” Jensen finally said.

“So what’s the catch?” Justin asked as he rose from the couch and walked into the kitchen.

“No catch,” Jensen replied with a shake of his head. “Well, he did ask me to have coffee with him, but he said there was nothing behind it.”

Justin groaned. “Oh my God, Jensen he totally wants to tap your ass!”

“What? No! He doesn’t want anything from me, except to get to know me. He was just being nice,” Jensen insisted. 

Justin scoffed at Jensen, “Man are you naive. What bookstore owner, who you just met may I remind you, would lend you a book? The entire point of owning a business is to make money, unless you come across some sweet looking out-of-towner. Let me guess, you probably told him you’re new to LA.” He watched as Jensen nodded his head yes in answer to his question. “Yeah, I thought so. He saw you coming, he wasn’t being nice, he wants to bend you over . . .”

“No, you’ve got it all wrong. You’ll see you’re wrong when you meet him Sunday. He’s coming to pick me up,” Jensen responded with heat in his voice. He had instantly liked Jared, and felt a connection to him. There was no way that Jared had used the lending of the book as an excuse to get him to sleep him. Jared was a nice person, he was sure of it.

“You gave him my address?” Justin asked in a raised voice. 

“Our address,” Jensen reminded Justin.

“He knows where we live? How stupid could you be?” Justin asked as he threw his hands up in annoyance. “He’s probably going to come here and rob us blind,” Justine whined.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I don’t have much, and you’re wrong about Jared,” Jensen said defiantly as he grabbed his backpack and pushed past Justin to disappear into his room. He could hear Justin yelling to him through his bedroom door, but chose to ignore him. He tossed his backpack onto his bed and then joined it. He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, trying to clear his mind. His thoughts kept coming back to Jared. Why had he dreamed of a man he had never met before today? Why did he feel a connection to this stranger? He just knew that Justin was wrong, and he'd understand that when he met Jared on Sunday. With a heavy sigh, he forced himself to sit up and grab his books, he had two chapters to read, and that was just for his PT class. 


	3. Chapter 3

The week seemed to pass by in a blur for both men. Jared was busy running his store while Jensen was buried in his classes, assignments and working. He was also trying to smooth things over with Justin, which hadn't been easy. He had even apologized to Justin for giving out their address to Jared, even though he still didn't see the harm in it, all Justin had done was grunt at him. For two days Justin had done nothing but glare at him every time they saw each other. By Friday, he had finally had enough of Justin’s silent treatment. He was frustrated by Justin who ignored his attempt of the proverbial offered olive branch when he had made them both dinner. 

Justin sat on the couch, watching TV, ignoring him. When he had announced that he had made them both dinner, Justin had just turned the volume up on the TV. Jensen walked into the living room, grabbed the remote and had turned off the TV. “Real mature!” he commented as he tossed down the remote and then stood with his arms crossed over his chest, pointedly looking at Justin. When Justin just sat there, refusing to look at him, he turned and walked back into the kitchen. “Fine, don’t talk to me,” he said as he felt his anger building. He grabbed the food he had cooked for Justin, wrapped it, and put it in the refrigerator before taking his own plate of food and disappearing into his room to eat by himself. He sat down on his bed with his plate on his lap and grabbed one of his books so he could read ahead. He had to work a full day on Saturday and knew he’d be too excited on Sunday to try and get any work done before Jared picked him up. He had been looking forward to seeing Jared, to spending time with him and getting to know him. He hoped Jared was looking forward to getting together with him on Sunday. He didn’t find himself too interesting and worried that Jared would let down once he got to know him. 

He forced down his thoughts and worries as he ate and opened his PT book to read the next chapter and go over his notes. He was startled when his phone rang and had to scramble to catch his plate before it fell off the bed. He quickly grabbed his phone and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Jensen? It’s Jared. I hope I’m not calling too late.”

Jensen glanced at the clock, seeing it was nearly ten at night. “No, not really. I was just reading,” he replied.

“Anything of interest?”

“Only if you’re a physical therapist major,” Jensen stated and heard Jared chuckling into the phone.

“No, can’t say that I am,” Jared replied with a chuckle. “I was just making sure that we’re still on for Sunday.”

“Yeah, unless you’ve changed your mind,” Jensen responded, uncertainty sounding in his voice.

“No, I’m looking forward to seeing you,” Jared admitted. He had to force himself not to call Jensen every day just to hear his voice. He was intrigued and enamoured with Jensen. He couldn’t get him out of his thoughts, and he knew part of it was because Jensen was meant to be his mate. He had never felt this way about someone before, not when he had been human and not even after he had been turned. This was the first time that he longed to be with someone. He had had his share of lovers over his long existence, but none of them had captured his attention in such a way, and he had only just met Jensen on Monday. They had only spent, at most, a half hour together that day. 

“Uhm, I’ve got to ask since you’ve called, so I don’t embarrass myself or you, how should I dress? I mean, I don’t have anything really dressy, being a college student and all. I mean, I might be able to borrow something from my roommate. . . or if you want to cancel, I’ll understand,” Jensen said nervously. 

Jared laughed softly. “No, I’m not going to cancel on you. Jeans are fine. If you didn’t notice the other day, I’m a jeans kind of guy myself. I don’t want you to stress out over this, it’s just coffee. I just want to get to know you and have you get to know me. I’m gonna let you go. Have a good day at work tomorrow and I’ll see you on Sunday.”

“Great,” Jensen responded happily. He was grinning, but knew Jared couldn’t see it over the phone. “When you get here, just call and I’ll come down. And, Jared, have a good day yourself. I’ll see you on Sunday,” he said and ended the call. He dropped his phone onto his bed and picked up his discarded plate to bring into the kitchen. As he made his way into the kitchen, he noticed that Justin was no longer in the living room. He discovered the plate he had wrapped up was resting in the dish strainer as he took care of his plate. “Figures, he eats the food, yet he refuses to talk to me,” he said with a frown as he made his way back to his room to get ready for bed. 

Saturday was a busy day for Jensen, making the day go by quickly. He was only supposed to work an eight hour shift, but someone had called in sick and his manager had asked if he would be willing to work extra hours to cover the shift. He had agreed to stay and his eight hours had turned into nearly fifteen hours. He was dead on his feet by the time he had gotten home and after showering, he crawled into bed and was asleep within minutes of closing his eyes. 

Jared paced back and forth in front of the register as he waited to close his store for the night. He felt like he was caged in and all he wanted was to be outside. He could feel his hunger growing stronger as the hours passed by that day. He needed to feed before his craving got the best of him. He hadn’t lost control in over four hundred years and had a feeling that this surge of hunger was coming from his anticipated date with Jensen. When the clock struck seven, he gave a sigh of satisfaction and locked the door. He made sure his employees were set for the next day and that the store and cafe were in order before he and those that had been working were ready to leave. 

“Hey, boss,” Mike teased, knowing how it irked Jared to be called that. He worked for Jared, managing the cafe aside from being his friend. He stood in the doorway to Jared’s office, watching him lock up the two cash drawers in the safe.

“Don’t call me that,” Jared snarled.

Mike took a step back from Jared, his surprise at Jared’s reaction showing on his face. “Sorry,” he muttered. “What’s got you in a such mood? You were all happy about seeing Jensen again.” His eyes went round as he spoke again, “Oh, man, he didn’t cancel on you, did he?”

Jared’s head snapped up from closing the safe and he gave Mike a murderous look. He felt his canines extend and he fought to get himself under control as he stood to his full height. “Watch yourself!” he spat out as he glared at Mike.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Mike asked. He had never seen Jared like this before, not even when they had fought recently over him taking Cassie as a mate. He had come to accept Jared’s wishes and backed Jared in his decision. He knew he had been panicking when he had lashed out at Jared. They still had at least two months before the date of Jared’s turning hit. He had yet to meet Jensen, but he had a feeling that whoever he was, he was the one Jared needed to take as his mate. He was relieved to know that Jared was still entertaining the idea of Cassie being a last resort if Jensen refused and he hoped it didn’t come to that. He hated to admit it to anyone, even himself, but he had developed feelings for Cassie, one’s he was pretty sure were reciprocated. If things went the way everyone hoped, Jared would mate with Jensen and with his sire’s blessing, he would be able to mate with Cassie. If there was a God out there, one who was willing to smile down on vampires, he prayed to that deity, hoping that things fell into place.

“Hungry,” Jared hissed at Mike. 

“Have you been fighting this hunger all day?” Mike asked in astonishment. He knew Jared had stamina, that he was able to hold off on feeding for great lengths of time, but when the need to feed arose, he had never seen anyone push it aside, and he had never seen Jared act like this. Ignoring it was what got a vampire into trouble. “Christ Jared, let me call Cassie. I’m sure she’d be willing to come over and let you feed from her like she’s done in the past.”

“No,” Jared said as he pushed past Mike. “I can’t use her like that.” 

Mike sighed and shook his head. “That’s what she’s there for. She’s willing to do this, even though she knows what your plans are.” He didn’t wait for Jared to answer him. He pulled out his cell phone and sent a text to Cassie. He received a response a few moments later. “Come on, she’ll meet us upstairs,” Mike said as he started to usher Jared through the store to the back door that led to four different apartments, Jared’s being on the top floor. 

Jared not only owned the store, but the building that all four of the coven lived in. Mike had the first apartment, Christian lived above him, with Chad living in the third one and Jared living on the top floor. It made it convenient for the two of them when they were running late for work. They just had to roll out of bed and take the elevator down to the main floor, walk the length of the hallway and he and Jared were at work. 

“I thought you fed last night,” Mike mentioned as he pressed the button for Jared’s floor. He saw Jared shake his head yes in answer to his question and then frowned. He had never seen Jared like this before, especially since he had fed last night. “Then what’s going on?”

“It’s my body’s way of telling me that my mate is near, that I need his blood,” Jared stated as he slumped against the wall and closed his eyes. “I need to take Jensen as my mate.”

“Shit, is it like that for everyone?” Mike asked, wondering why he wasn’t like that around Cassie.

The ding of a bell announcing they were at Jared’s floor had him opening his eyes. Slowly, he made his way to his apartment, opened the door and managed to get to the couch before his legs gave out. “No, not normally,” he rasped out. “It’s because my time is getting closer. My need to mate is increasing.” He closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the couch. He could hear Mike pacing back and forth across the hardwood flooring. Normally, he would have snapped at Mike to stop, but it gave him something else to focus his attention, other than his overwhelming thirst. His eyes popped open when the bell to his apartment sounded. 

“I’ll get it,” Mike said as he turned toward the door panel. He made sure it was Cassie before he granted access to the elevator and to Jared. He swung the door open and waited just in the doorway, only stepping back when Cassie appeared. He smiled when he saw the petite blonde. “Thanks for coming,” he said softly as he shut the door behind them.

Cassie glanced over at Jared and then at Mike. A soft smile played on her lips as her brown eyes rested on Mike. “Of course.” She turned back to Jared and frowned at him. “You’re in a bad way,” she announced as she began to unbutton the top two buttons of her shirt and sat down next to him. “Here.” She exposed her neck to Jared and tried not to tense when Jared pulled her against his muscular chest, one hand resting on the small of her back with the other cradling her head, and sank his teeth into her neck. 

Jared felt his canines extend as he leaned into Cassie’s body. He heard her soft gasp as his teeth pierced her skin and then the coppery taste of her blood exploded over his tongue. Greedily he drank, needing to sate his hunger. He could feel Cassie going limp in his arms and he forced himself to stop feeding before he took her life. He bit down on his own tongue, drawing blood to lick over the wounds he had caused, knowing his blood would heal Cassie within moments. Gently he helped her to rest against the couch and then licked his lips clean of her blood. “Thank you,” he whispered. What he had taken would be enough to sustain him through seeing Jensen, that was all that mattered to him, seeing him and not hurting Jensen when he did. He looked from Cassie to Mike before he stood and indicated for Mike to take his place next to Cassie. He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to find the words he needed. “Uh, look, Cassie . . . Thank you. I know you could have refused me after finding out that I have a mate, one that I want to bond with. I never meant to string you along, and if things go well with him, and you still want to be turned, I’ll do it.” He saw Mike’s smile as he reached for Cassie’s hand. “But, if the two of you feel that you want to mate, you have my blessing. Just wait until . . . I don’t want to bring another into the coven until I’m sure things will work out with Jensen.”

“Jared, stop.” Cassie’s soft voice filled the air. She sat up straighter and looked at Jared, pulling her hand from Mike. “I’m willing to wait. But, I’m also willing to be your mate, if that means saving your coven.” She looked over at Mike with a sad smile on her face. “I know you don’t have feelings for me, not like what a mate would have, but I can’t let you or anyone from this coven die. I do hope that things work out for you, though.”

Jared looked from Mike to Cassie and then gave them both a dimpled smile. It took him a moment to say anything to them. “Thank you. I know you have feelings for Mike, and it’s obvious how he feels about you. I’ll do my best to win Jensen over so that the two of you can be together.”

“Thank you, Jared,” Mike responded softly as he reached for Cassie’s hand again.

Jared watched the tender exchange between the two sitting on the couch. He needed to mate with Jensen, he was sure of that. He was also sure of something else. “If things don’t work out, I want you to take Cassie as your mate. I don’t want to doom you or anyone else to death.” He held up his hand as both Cassie and Mike started to protest. “No, you deserve to live and be happy. I need to take care of a few things, if you don’t mind . . .” he let his words die as he started for the door, opening it to let Mike and Cassie out. 

Hesitantly, Mike stood and then helped Cassie up. He gave Jared a sideways glance before he led them both to the door. “Are you gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, I am,” Jared replied with a dimpled smile. “I’ll talk to you later.” He closed the door, stopping Mike from saying anything else. He crossed the living room walking down the hall to his small home office. He sat down at his desk and began to go through one of the drawers, pulling out some contracts. He looked everything over, making sure things were in order. He had had the paperwork drawn up several years ago; leaving his businesses and real estate holdings that he had accumulated over his vast years to Chad, Christian and Mike. They would be taken care of, he would make sure of that. Now, he just had to make sure that the other two found prospective mates should things go south with Jensen. 

He forced himself to replace the paperwork where he found it. There was nothing he could do until Monday when his lawyer’s office opened. He retraced his steps into the living room where he had left his cell phone. Grabbing it, he sent a joint text to Chad and Christian asking them to stop by. He slumped down on the couch, picked up his book and tried to focus on it. When that didn’t work, he grabbed his laptop from his bedroom, returned to the couch and googled physical therapy/therapist, wanting to find out what he could so he had something to talk to Jensen about if their conversation lagged. 

He placed his laptop on the table when he heard a knock at his door. Knowing who it was, he greeted Chad and Christian with a smile when he answered the door.

“You summoned us?” Chad said with a snicker as he moved past Jared, followed by Christian.

“You’re such an ass,” Christian muttered.

“Yeah, but I’m cute, admit it,” Chad quipped.

“Yeah, you’re about as cute as an STD is,” Christian shot back. To his dismay, both Chad and Jared laughed at him. He felt Jared’s large hand clamp down on his shoulder and he tried to shrug it off. When he couldn’t, he grudgingly allowed Jared to steer him toward the couch.

“Sit,” Jared said as he swept his free hand toward the couch. He watched as both men did as he had requested. He saw them watching him, with expectant looks on their faces. He shoved his hands in his pockets and took a deep breath, knowing that what he was about to say was probably going to be met with resistance. “I wanted to talk to the both of you about something. I’ve given my blessing for Mike to take Cassie as his mate. They have a connection that I’m not willing to break just so I can take her as my mate if things don’t work out with Jensen.” He looked over at the couch to see identical looks of shock on their faces. “I want you both to do the same. Find mates, bond with them so you can continue the bloodline. I don’t want it to end, for either of you to die because it didn’t work out for me and my mate, because there is a chance that it might not.”

“Wait, you’re talking like you already know things are gonna go to hell with Jensen and you haven’t even taken him on a first date,” Chad reasoned as he looked at Jared in confusion.

“Aren’t you going off the deep end here, Jared? What’s gotten into you?” Christian questioned. 

“No!” Jared yelled and then sighed. “No, I just need to make sure you all survive.” He turned away from them to look out the window. “I was so selfish when I offered to turn the three of you. I loved you, still do. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing any of you. You were my friends, still are, but you’re more, not just someone I sired, created a coven with. You’re my family,” he admitted as he turned back to them.

“Jared . . .” Christian started to say, only to be stopped when Jared raised his hands at him.

“Promise me you’ll at least think about it,” Jared implored. 

Christian was at a loss for words as he stared at Jared. Chad rose from the couch, walked to Jared and pulled him into an embrace. “Sure, of course, if that’s what you want,” he responded, not daring to argue with Jared. He could tell his best friend was doing what he felt was best for them. 

Jared broke their embrace. “I’m serious,” he warned as he leveled a pointed look at Christian. 

“Yeah, I’ll think about it. But I think you’re being an idiot,” Christian griped.

“I’ll make sure that you’re all taken care of. None of you will have to worry about money,” Jared explained. “I’ll speak with my lawyer on Monday.”

“Christ, Jared. Are you even listening to yourself?” Christian demanded as he stood up. 

“I need to make sure everything is covered, that you’re protected and taken care of,” Jared said evenly.

“Yeah, yeah,” Christian agreed as he shook his head. “I get it, but let’s see where this first date goes before we all jump off into the deep end of the pool.” He held up his hands, stopping Jared from interrupting him. “If things go south, then Chad and I will do our best to find mates. Agreed?” He looked at Chad and then Jared. 

“Agreed,” Jared and Chad responded in unison. 

“Good,” Christian replied. “Did you feed? You won’t be helping yourself out if you can’t control yourself around Jensen.”

“Yeah, I did from Cassie, but I could probably use more,” Jared admitted.

“Then let’s get a move on, find a few willing blood bags and feed,” Chad chimed in.

“Blood bags?” Christian commented in disgust, only to hear Chad chuckling.

“He’s only doing this to get a rise from you,” Jared countered back as he grabbed his keys and jacket. “You two ready?” He watched as they nodded and then joined him so they could leave the apartment in search of their meals.


	4. Chapter 4

Jensen jumped when his cell phone rang. “Hello?”

“Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I’m on my way. I should be there shortly.”

“Great, just give me a call and I’ll come down when you get here.”

“Nonsense, this is a date. I’m not gonna just call you, as if I was just honking my horn to get you to come out. You live on the third floor, right?” He heard Jensen’s soft ‘Yes’ in response and smiled. “I’ll see you in a few minutes,” Jared said and ended their call.

Jensen paced the living room floor, waiting for Jared’s arrival. He jumped when he heard Justin’s voice, not having noticed that his roommate had walked in.

“You look nice, but what are you doing?” Justin questioned as a knock at the door sounded. “Oh, let me guess, that must be Jared,” he sneered as he turned to answer the door. 

“Justin,” Jensen hissed and then went silent as Justin pulled open the door. Jensen felt his heartbeat quicken at seeing Jared standing there, his tall, muscular form taking up the doorway. “Jared,” he managed to get out before he felt his mouth go dry. 

“So, you’re Jared?” Justin asked as he looked the taller man over. He didn’t move, he just tried to stare the man down. Jared was taller than him by about two inches and seemed just as muscular as he was. Looking at the other man, he didn’t see much of a difference between them, aside from hair and eye color, he had blond hair and brown eyes. He couldn’t see what Jensen saw in Jared, what possibly drew Jensen’s attention to the other man when Jensen could have him. 

Jared gave the man blocking his access to Jensen a cursory look. He had to force himself not to reach out, grab him by the throat and squeeze until his body went limp. “Yes, Jared Padalecki,” he said and offered his hand. It didn’t go unnoticed that Justin didn’t bother to shake his hand. He felt his body begin to coil with tension from the man’s reaction at meeting him. He was acting as if he was jealous, like he had a claim on Jensen. 

“Justin,” Jensen said quietly. When Justin didn’t move or acknowledge him, Jensen pushed himself between the two men. “You’re being rude,” he whispered to Justin. “Jared, please come in.” He purposefully took a step backward, forcing Justin to move so Jared was able to come in. “Sorry about that.” He felt his cheeks heating up as Justin turned and disappeared down the hall to his room. He wanted the floor to swallow him up as his embarrassment overtook him.

Jared placed a comforting hand on Jensen’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. You can’t control how others act. So, Justin?” Jared questioned and then waited for Jensen to answer him. 

“He’s my roommate.”

Jared felt the tension in him begin to recede at hearing that, but he had to make sure that there wasn’t more going on between Jensen and Justin. “He doesn’t seem to like me very much.” He pulled his hand away from Jensen as he tried to gauge his reaction. “Are you two . . .”

Jensen’s head snapped up and a look of shock was clearly etched on his face. “What? No!” He shook his head vehemently. “We’re just roommates, that’s all.”

Jared held up his hands, “Okay, it just seemed like there was something . . . I don’t want to come between anything.”

“Have you’ve been reading one of those romance novels that you sell?” A teasing smile spread across his face when he saw Jared blanch at his words. 

Jared shook his head. “Are you ready?” he asked ignoring Jensen’s taunt.

“Yeah, let me just grab my keys and jacket. I’ll be right back,” he said and then disappeared into his bedroom. 

Jared stood looking out the living room window, waiting for Jensen to return. He turned around when he heard movement, to find Justin standing there. The smile slipped from his face.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” Justin accused.

Jared looked at him in confusion. “Excuse me?”

“Lending him the book he needed. Asking him out for coffee. We both know what you want from him. He’s naive, but I’m not.”

Jared had to hold himself in check. All he wanted was to tear into Justin’s throat, to drink him dry and then discard him. “I think you’ve got things wrong.”

“Well, I don’t,” Justin hissed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Admit it, you took one look at those big green eyes and cock sucking lips and all you could think about was how good they’d look wrapped around your dick or bending him over and fucking him.”

Jared growled low in his throat at Justin, issuing him a warning. He couldn’t stomach the way that asshole was speaking about his mate “Shut your filthy mouth.” He felt the need to protect Jensen as he took a step toward the other man, his hand clenched into a fist ready to strike him. “Or, I’ll shut it for you. It seems to me you’re the one who’s given a lot of thought to certain aspects of his body.”

Justin snickered and then noticed how close Jared was to him and he could feel the anger rolling off the larger man in waves. He swallowed and tried to take a step back when he heard Jensen’s voice. 

“Is everything alright?” Jensen asked as he took in the two men. Jared looked like he was about to hit Justin and Justin looked frightened for a moment. 

Jared unclenched his hand and turned to Jensen. “Yes, Justin was just apologizing for his rudeness from earlier,” he explained in a steely voice.

“Oh, okay,” Jensen acknowledged and then held up his jacket and keys. “Well, I’m ready.” 

“Great,” Jared replied with a dimpled grin and ushered Jensen out of the apartment and to his car. 

Once seated with the car moving, Jensen turned to Jared, “So, where are you taking me?” He couldn't hide his curiosity as excitement coursed through his body.

“It's a surprise and you'll see soon enough,” Jared replied with a smile as he glanced over at Jensen. The drive lasted twenty more minutes before Jared pulled his car into the parking lot of a small, Bohemian-style shopping district. He looked over at Jensen to see his wide green eyes taking everything in. “Come on, I have a feeling you're going to love the place,” he said as he slid out from behind the wheel and closed his door. He waited for Jensen to join him before he led the way to a quaint coffee shop,  _ A Step In Time _ .

“Jared,” Chad called out as he watched his friend hold the door open for the man standing next to him. He walked over, holding two menus and waved away the hostess. 

With a smile, Jared turned to introduce Jensen. “Jensen, this is a long time friend of mine, Chad. Chad, this is Jensen.” He watched as Chad covertly sized Jensen up and then smiled at him.

“Nice to meet you. Why don’t you follow me, I have a table set up for you.” Chad turned and led the way past several tables to a secluded spot he had created for Jared and Jensen. He placed the menus down and then excused himself as the two men took their seats.

Wide-eyed, Jensen looked around the cozy coffee shop. It seemed to be decorated in a bygone era and if he had to guess, he would have said it was the 1940’s. The tables and chairs were made of dark, rich wood, adding to that feel. The shop was filled with wonderful aromas of different coffees and pastries, making his mouth water. “This place is fantastic,” Jensen said in a hushed voice as he leaned forward. “I've never seen anything like it.”

Jared laughed softly, “And you probably won't. It's definitely a one of a kind place.” Picking up his menu he looked at Jensen, “I can tell you from experience that everything that's served here is delicious.” While his body really only needed blood to survive on, he was able to consume human food and drink, as were other vampires. It was just another way for them to hide in plain sight.

Jensen continued to look around, before he finally focused on Jared and the menu. He was thankful that he had a chance to look over the menu before their waitress approached. Having placed their orders, Jensen began to nervously play with the hem of his shirt. He stopped when Jared leaned in and spoke to him.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Jared coaxed.

Jensen responded with a slight shrug of his shoulders, “There's really not much to tell.” 

“I find that hard to believe. You had to grow up somewhere, start with that.” Jared gave him a smile, trying to coax Jensen into opening up about himself. “I can tell with that accent that you’re not from LA.”

Jensen shook his head no in response to Jared’s comment. “It's not the most interesting story, really.” Jensen gave a nervous smile. “I grew up in a small Texas town. It was just me and my parents.”

Jared nodded, sensing it was a sensitive subject and tried another tactic. “So what got you interested in physical therapy?” He smiled when he saw Jensen's eyes light up. 

“My dad got hurt on the job, he’s the head of the maintenance department for the local school district back home. He had to have surgery and then physical therapy to help with his back. I drove him to all his appointments. I'd sit there and watch the patients come in, some of them could hardly walk or use their arms, and they were in so much pain, my dad included. By the time their sessions were over, they were feeling better, getting stronger, had more use of their bodies. It was amazing to watch their transformations. I just wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to help that person get back on their feet, sort of speak. When I realized what I wanted to do with my life, I started looking at schools. USC had one of the best programs, but I didn’t go to college right after high school. I had to help my parents out while I tried to save what I could, knowing it’s expensive to go. When I realized I’d never be able to save enough, I decided to apply for as many grants and loans as I could. Luckily, I qualified for a few and one is a really great grant and here I am.” 

“And your dad, is he better?” Jared inquired.

“Yeah, he's back to his old self, and back at work. The injury happened around eight years ago.”

“He's gotta be proud of you, not only figuring out what you want to do with your life, but that you want to help people.”

“He probably would be, but we're not really close. Not anymore,” Jensen said with a hint of sadness in his voice. “My parents weren't too happy when I told them that I'm gay.”

“Oh, Jensen, I'm so sorry,” Jared said softly as he reached over to take Jensen's hand in his. He saw the grateful smile Jensen gave him before he pulled away so their orders could be placed in front of them. 

“See, not that interesting,” Jensen responded with a soft smile, trying to lighten their mood. “So, what about you? What's your story?” 

Jared sat back in his chair as he pondered what to tell the man sitting across from him. If he told him the truth, that he was not only a nearly five hundred year old vampire, but Jensen’s mate, he knew Jensen would run from him, thinking he was probably insane. He couldn’t take that risk, not so soon after meeting him. Picking up his fork, he pushed and prodded at the chocolate cake on his plate. “I came here from Poland when I was very young.” It wasn’t a lie, he was young back then. “My parents were very loving, but passed away. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday that I lost them, compared to years ago.” He couldn’t hide the hint of longing in his voice, despite the years that had passed, he still mourned the passing of his parents.

“I’m sorry, Jared. Here I am complaining about my parents, who are still alive.” Jensen was about to ask Jared what had happened to his parents, but seeing the sad, far away look in his eyes, made him remain silent. Instead he took a sip of his coffee and suppressed the moan that threatened to escape him. The coffee was the best he had ever had. It was almost sinful. He looked at the large slice of apple pie he had ordered and hoped it tasted as good as it looked. He set his cup down as Jared spoke to him, giving him his attention. 

Jared waved his hand at Jensen. “No, no, it was a long time ago. The ache will always be there, but I have the memories of their love.” He noticed the look on Jensen’s face after he had taken a sip of his coffee. “Good isn’t it?” he asked, changing the subject. “Go ahead, try the pie.” He watched as Jensen took a bite of his pie and moaned in pleasure from it.

“That’s fantastic,” Jensen said as he took another bite. “So, a bookstore?” he asked as he raised his cup to his lips for another sip. This date was where they were supposed to be getting to know each other, he reminded himself. “What made you settle on that?”

“Yeah, my parents didn’t really have an education, but they did what they could to afford me a proper one. They were so proud to have a child who could read and write. They encouraged me every chance they could to read, to continue learning. So, I opened my bookstore as a way to honor their memory,” Jared confided.

“Wow, that’s really beautiful,” Jensen admitted. “And, this coffee shop? Does this also honor them?”

Jared tossed his head back in laughter at not only the fact that Jensen had figured out that he owned the coffee shop, but that he was confident enough to call him out on it. “What gave it away?”

“This place is decorated just like your bookstore. I figured, what were the chances of both places being decorated so similar? You either owned both places, or you’re friends with the decorator.”

“You have a good eye,” Jared complimented him as he finished his cake and coffee. “Would you like a refill?” Jared motioned to Jensen’s cup. 

Shaking his head no, Jensen pushed away his empty plate and cup. “No, I won’t sleep tonight if I do, but thanks.”

Jared motioned for their waitress. “Could we have the check, please?” After paying, he led Jensen out with a wave goodbye to Chad. They strolled through the shopping district, with Jared watching Jensen’s reaction to the different shops they wandered into. He made a mental note of the things that caught Jensen’s interest; a leather bound journal, a black leather messenger bag, a few beaded bracelets and a leather corded necklace with a silver pendant stamped with his Pisces birth sign. It was all he could do not to buy everything for him, just to see the smile on Jensen’s face. But he knew he’d be overstepping if he did. He sensed that Jensen would be too proud to accept the gifts and his kindness would make the man weary of his intentions toward him. “I should probably get you back since you have class tomorrow. I’m sure you want to either study or rest, or possibly both.”

Jensen chuckled at Jared’s observation. “Yes to all of the above, although I had a great time. Thank you.”

“I’m happy you did,” Jared responded as he led them back to the car and made the short drive back to Jensen’s apartment. They sat in silence once they arrived. Finally, Jared broke the silence. He turned to Jensen with a dimpled smiled, “I had a really nice time today. I was hoping you might consider going out with me again, and possibly letting me kiss you.” He knew he was tempting fate, but he just didn’t care.

Jensen sucked in a breath at hearing Jared’s words. He had hoped Jared would ask him on a second date, but hadn’t dared to dream that Jared would ask to kiss him. “Yes, to both,” he responded and found Jared pulling him into a chaste kiss. He felt a zing of electricity course through his body when their lips touched. When they broke apart, he licked his lips, tasting Jared on them.

Jared had to count to ten before he was able to speak for fear of his canines showing as he fought the desire to pull Jensen to him again and sink his teeth into his tender flesh. “Why don’t you call me and let me know what night we can get together? No pressure,” he said as he raised his hands out in front of himself. 

Jensen gave Jared a shy smile. “Okay,” he said softly. He opened his door and got out. “I will call you,” he promised as he shut the door. He had his hand on the handle to the apartment building’s front door when he heard Jared calling him. He turned back to find that Jared had rolled down the passenger’s window.

“Jensen, I’ll hold you to that promise,” he called out and then waited until Jensen was safely inside before driving off.

Justin was sitting at the kitchen table when Jensen entered the apartment. “Have a nice time?” he asked with a sneer. 

“Yes, and he was a perfect gentleman. We talked, and just got to know each other some. And he kissed me, only after asking my permission,” Jensen countered back.

“Let me guess, you’re going to see him again,” Justin responded hotly.

“Yes, not that it’s really any of your business, but Jared asked me out on another date.” Before Justin could respond, Jensen turned and made his way to his bedroom. “Goodnight,” he called over his shoulder as he closed his bedroom door, not wanting to hear anything else Justin might have had to say. He frowned, wondering why it mattered to Justin so much what he did or who he saw. They were just roommates, bordering on friends. 

He grabbed his backpack and pulled out his schedule to see when his free day was. He gave a defeated sigh when he noticed he was either working or in class for the next two weeks without a break. He plopped himself on his bed and dialed Jared’s number. When he heard Jared’s voice, he couldn’t help but smile. 

“Hi, it’s Jensen,” he said and heard Jared chuckled softly. “I, um, I was calling to let you know when I was free. I’m either in class or working every day for the next two weeks.” He rubbed at the nape of his neck as he waited for Jared’s response. It was a nervous habit he had developed when he was younger, and he was agitated, worrying that Jared wouldn’t want to wait that long to get together again. 

Sensing Jensen’s anxious mood, Jared spoke softly, “Hey, it’s no worry, I’m willing to wait.” He heard Jensen’s barely audible gasp, but ignored it. “We can talk on the phone when you have time to call me. That way, I won’t be distracted by wanting to kiss you again.”

“You’re really okay with waiting?” Jensen asked in disbelief.

“You’re worth it,” Jared found himself admitting. “So, two weeks from today? I have just the place I want to take you. And, don’t try to get any hints from me, I want it to be a surprise.”

“Fine, I won’t,” Jensen grumbled before breaking out into laughter. “So, same time?”

“No, I was thinking around six, unless that’s too late for you on a school night?” Jared taunted.

“Oh, so you’re also a comedian!” Jensen shot back. “Yeah, that should be fine. I’m writing your name and the time in pen in my schedule, so there’s no way you can back out.”

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dream of canceling on you,” Jared assured Jensen. 

Jensen smiled softly at the words and then felt a thrum of excitement ripple through his body at the idea of Jared possibly wanting to date long term. He knew he was getting ahead of himself, they hardly knew each other. This could all be a way for Jared to make sure he got his borrowed book back. He tamped that thought down, for some reason he got the feeling that Jared was genuinely interested in him. He knew he was with Jared. “Okay, I should let you go. I have a few things I need to do before I can even think about sleep. I’ll call you later.”

“Sounds good, make sure you get your sleep,” Jared said before ending the call. He looked up to see Mike, Chad and Christian staring at him. “What?” he asked as he narrowed his eyes at the three.

“Oh my God, you’re in love! You’re actually in love,” Mike gushed and watched as Jared blushed. Seeing his friend’s face flush, had him pointing and laughing.

“Well, I got to meet Jensen briefly today. He seemed very nice, plus I don’t think the smile Jared had when he first walked in ever left his face.” Chad chuckled when he saw Christian take an interest in what he was saying.

“Really?” Christian asked, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “So, was it a real date where you kissed and everything?” Christian mocked.

“What, are the three of you twelve?” Jared huffed out and then looked at Christian, “Don’t you have a bar to run?” He gave Christian a pointed look and then walked into his bedroom, calling to them from the other room, “Make sure you lock up since you’re leaving.” He heard the three men laughing as they left his apartment. Shaking his head at their antics, he had to admit to himself that yes, he was falling in love with Jensen. He could only hope that his mate was feeling the same way.

The two weeks Jensen had to wait to see Jared again seemed to stretch on into eternity. Even though they spoke regularly, it didn’t feel like it had been enough for him. For several nights he dreamed of Jared, but they were confusing to him. He dreamed of Jared and blood, Jared covered in blood, his hands, his face, his chest. In one dream, he offered his neck to Jared. He had no idea what had caused he dreams, but as the days drew closer to seeing Jared, the dreams disappeared, much to his relief. 


	5. Chapter 5

Jared was irritable for most of the time away from Jensen. He snapped at his employees and had gotten into a fight with one of his suppliers for  _ A Step In Time _ . Thankfully, Chad had been able to smooth things over so they didn’t have to find a new vendor. He also found himself wanting to feed more than he usually did. Once, maybe twice a week he sought out someone to feed from, but for those two weeks he was feeding almost daily. It was another sign that not only was he missing his mate, but that he might also suffer a possible blood lust if he was rejected by Jensen. By Sunday, he had been able to rein in his constant need to feed. He was sated when he showed up at Jensen’s to pick him up for their date.

To his dismay, he found Jensen waiting for him in the apartment lobby. “Jensen, why are down here?” Jared asked with a frown.

Jensen brought his hand up to rub at the back of his neck, as he dropped his gaze to the floor. “My roommate . . .”

Jared felt his anger building as he watched Jensen, he could tell he was nervous and obviously upset about something. “Your roommate what?” 

“He’s drunk and I didn’t want you seeing that,” Jensen admitted.

“Did he do anything to you?” Jared demanded. He had his hand on the elevator button, ready to push the up button so he was able to go upstairs and throttle Justin.

Jensen grabbed Jared’s hand and pulled him away from the elevator. “No, no, he didn’t. I was just trying to avoid a fight with him or you, so I decided to wait down here.”

Jared heaved a sigh of relief, but he still felt protective toward Jensen. “Okay, then, why don’t we get out of here?” he suggested as he held the door open for Jensen. 

Once safely in the car and on their way toward the mysterious destination, Jensen felt himself begin to relax. 

Jared glanced over at Jensen and smiled. He liked seeing Jensen relaxed and enjoyed having him so close to him. It was all he could do not to reach out and touch him, run his fingers through his spiked and cropped hair or rub his thumb along Jensen’s plush bottom lip. It wasn’t long before he was pulling up to his bookstore and saw the quizzical look Jensen shot him. Ignoring it, he circled around the building and pulled into his parking spot. “Come on,” he said as he led them to the elevator and then to his apartment. He heard Jensen’s sharp intake of breath and did his best to hide his smile as he closed the door behind them. The apartment was spacious with it’s open concept and he had set the dining room table for two, wanting an intimate dinner with Jensen.

“So, this is your apartment?” Jensen asked as he looked around, taking in the expansive wall of floor-to-ceiling windows and double doors that led out to a large balcony. The living room and dining room were furnished with mid-century style furniture in blues, greens and browns, which was a sharp contrast with how the bookstore and coffee shop were decorated. Somehow, the apartment seemed to fit Jared more. “This is really nice,” Jensen complimented as he moved toward the windows to take in the view.

“Thanks. I figured I could cook for you. I mean, if that’s alright,” Jared added as he watched Jensen turn toward him with a shocked look on his face. “I have steaks, potatoes and salad. If it’s not something you like, I can always order in . . .”

Jensen gave a soft laugh, realizing Jared was just as nervous as he was to be alone together. “It’s fine. I’m from Texas, where steak is considered a main course for every dinner. Can I help you with anything?”

“No, I’ve got it covered, and you’re my guest, but you can keep me company,” Jared responded as he walked into the kitchen and pulled out the steaks and potatoes. He started the oven and placed the potatoes on the top shelf to bake, letting the steaks come up to room temperature before putting them under the broiler. As he began chopping the ingredients for the salad, he turned to Jensen, and motioned to one of the stools on the other side of the kitchen island, “So, how are you liking school?”

Jensen sat down before answering him, “I love it. It’s challenging and a lot of work, but I really enjoy it. I have a test coming up in a few days in my PT class and a three thousand word essay that’s due at the end of the week in my Sociology class.”

Jared looked up from what he was doing to, “Yeah, what’s the paper on?”

“Gender stereotypes, specifically the role of man versus woman, why one is thought of as strong while the other is weak.” 

“Really?” Jared questioned as he placed the chopped vegetables in a bowl. “And are you finding the class interesting?”

“Yes, the class really makes you think about the things around you. The essay is nearly done, thankfully. My professor approved my topic and I started writing last week. I’ve met the word requirement, now I just have to wrap up and polish it.”

“That’s great,” Jared said as the timer went off and he turned his attention back to the stove to place the steaks under the broiler. “I wasn’t sure if you would rather have wine or beer with dinner, so I have both,” he offered. “It shouldn’t take too long for those to broil, unless you’d like yours to be shoe leather.”

“No,” Jensen chuckled out. “Pink, but not mooing at me is fine, and I’ll take whatever you’re drinking.”

Jared moved to the refrigerator and grabbed two beers. He heard Jensen’s ‘Beer it is’ response and smiled. “Here, take these for me and then have a seat.” He handed the beers to Jensen and then turned back to the stove to plate their dinners. A few minutes later he set Jensen’s plate down in front of him and then took his seat. “It’s been a while since I cooked, I hope you enjoy it.”

Jensen picked up his knife and fork and began to eat. He moaned around his fork as he tasted the steak. It was cooked just the way he liked it. “This is fantastic. Thank you, it’s been a while since I’ve had a home cooked meal like this.”

Jared felt himself blush at Jensen’s compliment. “I’m glad you like it.” He picked up his fork and began to eat. “So, you mentioned that you have a job. How are you liking that?”

“Yeah, I work at one of the campus libraries. I was lucky to find that job since it helps pay for my gas and things my grant doesn’t cover. My boss is great and I can study or work on my papers or classwork, as long as I take care of what needs to be done first,” Jensen explained as they finished eating.

“So, how was it, really? I haven’t had the opportunity to cook for anyone in a long time.”

Jensen gave Jared a bright smile. “It really was great. Let me help,” Jensen said as he stood up with his plate in his hands. 

“You’re my guest, and these will keep for a while. I’m just going to put them in the sink.” Jared took both plates and walked into the kitchen with them. “Hey, do you want another beer?” He heard Jensen respond ‘No’ to his question and then returned to the living room to find him looking out the windows. “Hey,” he said softly and then placed his hands on either side of Jensen’s shoulders. 

Jensen turned around so he was looking a Jared and smiled shyly at Jared. Jared was larger than he was in height and muscle, yet he didn’t feel like Jared would do anything to hurt him. “Hi,” he responded softly. He felt a flutter of butterflies in his stomach as he stood there, being cornered by Jared.

Jared gave Jensen a dimpled smile and another faint ‘Hi’, before he leaned in and kissed Jensen, savoring the breathy moan he pulled from him. He deepened their kiss, darting his tongue out to seek entrance to Jensen’s mouth. He felt Jensen’s lips part, granting him access and his tongue tangled with Jensen’s. Having Jensen like this; pliant and willing against him was a heady sensation. All too soon it was ruined when his apartment door swung open and he heard three voices speaking at once. He pulled away from Jensen to glare at Chad, Christian and Mike.

“Jared, how did the date go? Did you fuck . . .” Chad’s words died on his lips when he saw Jared’s darkened eyes fixed on him along with a pair of startled green ones. “Oh, shit.” He looked away from Jared’s death glare to Christian and Mike who were both looking down at the floor like it was the most interesting thing they had ever seen. “Sorry,” he mumbled, not daring to look at Jared or Jensen.

“Jensen, I’m sorry,” Jared murmured. “You’ve already met Chad. This is Christian and Mike.” He waved a hand at the other two men. 

“Nice to meet you,” Christian responded.

“Hey,” Mike said as he looked Jensen over. He could see why Jared was taken with the human; pale freckled skin, beautiful green eyes and sinful lips, if he had been interested in men, Jensen would be the one he went for.

Jensen gave them a tight smile and a barely audible hello.

“What are you doing here?” Jared question, not bothering to hide his irritation at being interrupted while he was with Jensen.

“We, um, we thought you were seeing Jensen earlier and would be alone, now,” Christian explained.

“Yeah, thought maybe you would want to hit the bar.” Chad snapped his mouth shut when he saw the angry look Jared was giving him.

“I should probably go,” Jensen said quietly. “I can . . . I can get the bus . . . I’ll see you later.” He started for the door, only to be stopped by Jared.

“Wait, please,” Jared begged. He could sense Jensen’s unease and then he was overcome with sadness when Jensen stopped, but didn’t look at him. Jared shot the three men another death glare before grabbing Jensen’s wrist and leading him over to the dining table. “Just let me sort this out. They’re my best friends and were probably curious to meet you. The bar . . .” He saw the dubious look on Jensen’s face as he explained, “I own it and Christian manages it for me. Mike also works for me in the bookstore, he runs the cafe. Just give me a minute and then I’ll drive you home.” He saw Jensen nod as he backed away from him. He turned to glare at Chad, Christian and Mike before he went to grab his keys. “We’ll talk about this later,” he hissed under his breath at them as he disappeared into his bedroom. 

Chad took that opportunity to walk over to Jensen. “Sorry about that. We honestly thought that Jared would be alone, that you and he were getting together earlier.”

“You have nothing to worry about, Jared’s totally into you,” Mike added.

“You’re so not helping,” Christian murmured as he looked at Jensen, seeing that there was no smile on his face. “Jared’s gonna kill us,” he whispered as he turned away and walked over to Jared’s bedroom. He knocked on the doorframe and waited for Jared to acknowledge him.

Jared whirled around to see Christian standing in the doorway. “What?” he asked from behind gritted teeth. 

Christian took a few steps toward Jared and then stopped. “What can I do, what can we do to help smooth things over?”

“Nothing,” Jared replied as he brushed past Christian. “The three of you, stay here while I take Jensen home,” he said coldly. He stopped short when he saw Mike and Chad standing next to Jensen. “What are you two doing?” 

“Just keeping Jensen company,” Mike replied innocently, while Chad just grinned at Jared.

“Are you ready?” Jared asked Jensen.

Jensen nodded his head and then silently followed Jared out of the apartment and into the hall. When they were alone, he found himself enveloped in Jared’s arms and stiffened, not knowing what Jared meant by that. 

“I’m sorry about tonight. This isn’t how I had pictured it.” He fished in his left pocket and pulled out a small box. “I wanted to give this to you. I should have done it earlier,” he explained as he held out the box to Jensen.

Jensen cautiously accepted the box and opened it to reveal the necklace he had seen on his first date with Jared. He sucked in a shaky breath, “Jared . . .”

Jared held up his hand, “It doesn’t have to mean anything more than a gift between friends.”

Jensen saw the silent plea in Jared’s eyes, ‘please accept this from me’, as his eyes ticked up from the box to Jared’s face. “It’s the one from one of the stores we stopped in. You remembered, thank you,” he said as he slipped the leather cord over his head. 

Jared watched as Jensen fingered the leather cord and then his fingers rested on the charm. He saw the soft smile on Jensen’s lips and breathed a sigh of relief. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

Silently, Jensen followed Jared into the elevator and then to his car. He kept running his fingers along the cord or over the charm, wondering what the gift actually meant. And he wondered about Jared’s friends, or were they more, it was all a little confusing for him.

Jared pulled his car up to the curb in front of Jensen's building. As he cut the engine he looked over at him. “I really am sorry about earlier. The guys don't always remember that there are boundaries. I own the building and, well, they all live in it.”

Jensen sat rigidly, his hands in his lap, with his eyes downcast, “Are they . . . have you . . . with any . . .” He knew he had no right to ask Jared about his past. In reality, he was just some guy Jared had been kind to. It wasn’t like he had a claim to Jared. That thought sparked something in him and realized that he had started to develop feelings for him. 

Seeing where this was going, Jared cut Jensen off, “No. We've known each other a long time. We're friends, more like family really. I've never. Mike has someone and Chad and Christian are looking. They all like women.”

Jensen brought his eyes up from his hands to look at Jared. “And you . . . What am I to you? Am I just a conquest? Is this just your way of making sure you get your book back, and what does this necklace really mean?” He looked away from Jared, not really wanting to see the expression on Jared's face when he admitted the truth, and he hated the idea that Justin might be right, that he was nothing more than a piece of ass to Jared. Maybe he was too naive for his own good. 

Jared reached out and cupped Jensen's cheek. It was killing him to see his mate in such distress. “Jensen, I don't care about the book. I care about you and you seemed to really like the necklace, so I went back to get it for you. I'll be honest with you, I've been with others, men and women, but I've never felt a connection to them. With you, I do. I'm falling for you.” He had laid it out there for Jensen, all he could do was hope Jensen felt the same way. “I know we haven't known each other very long and you might not feel the same way, and that's alright. But you're not some conquest for me, you never were. If you don't feel the same way, tell me now, and we can go our separate ways, no hard feelings.” 

“No, I do feel the same way. I mean, I was hoping . . .” Before he could finish whatever else he was going to say, he found himself being pulled closer to Jared and then Jared was kissing him senseless. His heart felt like it was going to burst from happiness, or lack of oxygen from their kiss. Either way, he didn’t care. Jared was interested in him, Jared wanted him.

“Any other questions or concerns?” Jared asked as he nipped at Jensen's bottom lip.

“No, I'm good,” Jensen murmured against Jared's lips. He buried his face in Jared's neck, trying to hold off the inevitable, knowing he had to get out of the car. He had classes in the morning and studying to do. With a sigh, he forced himself to break their contact. “I have to . . .” His words died off as he hitched his thumb over his shoulder indicating that he had to leave. 

“Yeah, I know,” Jared grumbled out, not liking the idea of being separated from Jensen. 

“One more kiss,” Jensen said as he leaned in, initiating it this time. When their lips met, he felt a jolt of electricity run through his body. He pulled back, suddenly feeling dizzy as an image of Jared covered in blood flashed in his mind.

“Jensen, are you alright?” Jared was confused by the sudden change in Jensen’s demeanor and how he had just pulled away like he had been hit. 

“Yeah, sorry. I just . . .” Jensen shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He had no idea why he kept having these images of Jared and blood flashing through his mind, but it was driving him crazy.

“Just what?” 

“You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I keep having these images and dreams of you.” Jensen eyed Jared and saw a smirk on his face. “You’re covered in blood and sometimes I’m in them and I’m offering you my throat.”

Jared’s brows knitted together as he contemplated what to say. He knew that Jensen experiencing these images and dreams was the fact that they were meant to be mated, and that their bond was forming. “Well, the blood part is a little out there, but I do like the idea of you having dreams about me.”

Jensen rolled his eyes at Jared, “Whatever,” he grumbled as he pushed the car door open. “This time, you call me,” he said as he closed the car door and then walked toward his building. He waved as Jared pulled away and instantly his hand went to the necklace, he fingered the charm as he paused at the door before he pushed it open. 


	6. Chapter 6

Jensen sighed as he waited for the elevator. He had no idea what he was walking into with Justin. Slowly he made his way out of the elevator and to his door, unlocked the door and pushed it open. He didn’t hear the TV as he closed the door and started to make his way into the kitchen for a glass of water before heading into his room to study for his test. 

“Well, look who finally decided to come home. Did you put out tonight?” Justin slurred as he staggered out of his room.

Jensen whirled around to find Justin standing behind him, blocking his way to his bedroom or out of the apartment. Nervously he looked around, hoping to see an out if Justin came at him. He abandoned his idea of getting a glass of water for getting away from Justin if he wasn’t able to reason with him. “Hey, I didn’t expect you to be up. You have class tomorrow, don’t you? And I should actually go study. I have a test . . .” he said, trying to get Justin out of his way.

“Don’t change the subject. Did you bend over for him?” Justin angrily asked. He took a step forward, crowding Jensen against the wall. 

“Wh . . . what?” Jensen stammered out.

“Did. You. Bend. Over. For. Him?” Justin spat out. 

“That’s none of your business!” Jensen yelled back. 

Justin paused for a moment. “You’re right. I was angry and I’m sorry. I was hurt that you seemed so enamored with Jared. You didn’t even give me a chance,” Justin said and then he leaned in and kissed Jensen.

Gasping, Jensen pulled away from Justin. “What the hell was that?” he asked in disbelief. 

“I was hoping we could . . .” Justin started to explain as Jensen raised his hand to stop him.

Cutting Justin off, Jensen shook his head. “Look, I’m sorry if you got the impression that there was anything more between us than being roommates and friends. I like you, you’re a really nice guy . . .”

Justin exploded at Jensen. “Don’t give me that ‘You’re a nice guy’, bullshit!” He eyed the necklace and brought his hand up to clutch it. “Did he give this to you? Is that what it takes to whore yourself out, a pretty piece of jewelry?” He tugged on the necklace before letting it go, turned to walk away, stopped and turned back to Jensen. “You might want to think about things . . . about us, if you want to remain living here.” He turned back to the hall that led to his bedroom, and disappeared into his room, slamming his door closed.

Jensen stood there for a moment, mouth gaping open as his shock wore off him. He recovered enough to slip into his room to grab his backpack, coat and keys and then he fled from the apartment, he couldn’t stay there right now, he had no idea what Justin was capable of doing in the state he was in. Once in his car, he started driving around without a clear destination in mind. He needed to think, if he couldn’t fix things with Justin, he’d have no place to live. The grant wouldn’t cover the cost of a dorm room, even if there had been one available, and he knew they were already full. He also knew he couldn’t find a place to live quickly, not one he could afford. He’d have to sleep in his car if Justin did kick him out. He didn’t have many options, that he was sure of. He could feel his breathing quickening as he thought about things and he tried to calm himself down. The last thing he needed was to get into an accident on top of what he was already dealing with. He pulled his car over and cut the engine as he tried to clear his head and think. He jumped when his phone rang and he reached over to answer it, hoping it was Justin. He was breathing rapidly just at that thought. He barely had the world hello out of his mouth when he heard Jared’s concerned voice and found himself telling Jared a few of the details from his encounter with Justin. He heard Jared telling him to come to his apartment, and strangely, it felt like the right thing to do. A few moments later he had ended their call and he was pulling his car back onto the road and driving himself to Jared.


	7. Chapter 7

Jared slammed down the papers he had been reading through, causing Chad, Christian and Mike to jump. After driving Jensen home, he had returned to his apartment, he had been ready to tear into his meddling friends. As he walked in, he saw their sorrowful looks and just frowned at them, deciding to let his anger go in favor of going over bank statements and bar receipts. It wasn’t the way he had hoped his night would have gone, but it was better than being alone and they always seemed to share a few good laughs when they were together. 

“Jared, something wrong?” Christian asked, seeing the angry look on Jared’s face. They had been laughing only half an hour ago before Jared had said he needed to read through some of the banking information he had given him for the bar he managed for Jared. “I thought everything was in order.”

“It’s not this,” Jared answered with a growl as he stood up and grabbed his cell phone off the coffee table. “Somethings wrong, Jensen’s upset.” He turned his back to the others as he dialed a number, impatiently waiting until the call was picked up. “Jensen, it’s Jared . . .”

Mike, Chad and Christian watched as Jared clutched his phone, sure he was going to break the device. He turned to them as he went silent, listening to whatever Jensen was telling him. His lips turned into a scowl, indicating he clearly wasn’t happy with what Jensen was telling him. 

“He what?” Jared exploded into the phone. “Are you alright? Where are you? Come here,” he said in a firm tone. “I’ll be waiting for you, and drive safely.” He ended the call and slammed his fist into one of the windows, causing the other three to cringe and be thankful that the windows and doors leading out to the balcony were made of tempered glass made to withstand hurricane force winds and apparently an extremely angry Jared. 

Chad stood up from the couch, walked over to Jared and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What’s the matter?” he inquired softly, knowing he had to tread lightly with Jared right now. “Is Jensen alright?”

Jared turned to face Chad and the others. “Jensen’s roommate upset him, he came on to Jensen and when he tried to let him down, the asshole threatened him. He told Jensen to rethink things between them, if he wanted to remain living there,” he spat out.

“Oh, that fucker,” Mike said as he stood and shook his head in disbelief. 

Christian eyed Chad and Mike before he spoke to Jared. “Listen, we’ll stay with you until Jensen gets here to make sure you don’t do something you’ll regret later.” He knew Jared and right now his friend and sire was about to explode. The man Jared saw as his mate was upset and possibly had been hurt in some way, making Jared clearly agitated. They were predators by nature and they all shared the same instinct to protect what was theirs and clearly to Jared, Jensen was his. He would have pitied the man incurring Jared’s wrath, but he also didn’t approve of anyone trying to force themselves on another to get what they wanted. He knew all they could do was try and keep Jared calm until Jensen arrived, knowing he wouldn’t relax until he saw Jensen himself, saw that he was unharmed. 

Jared paced the living room like an angry caged animal. Occasionally he would look at his watch to check the time, wondering where Jensen was. All he knew was that Jensen was in distress, he had been able to sense that. Jensen was his mate, and knowing that should have made him happy, but that was shadowed by his overwhelming rage that someone had dared to upset Jensen. He was going into protective mode, and knew he wouldn’t settle down until he saw Jensen, and made sure he was unharmed with his own two eyes. Then, he was going to set Justin straight, and he didn’t care if his possessiveness over the one he saw as his mate showed. The sound of his apartment bell ringing snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to answer it only to see Mike walking over to the intercom panel and he snarled at him, causing Mike to back away. 

Mike heard the bell ring and turned to answer, to make sure it was Jensen, only to stop when he heard Jared snarling at him. He raised his hands in surrender and backed away as Jared pushed past him. He wasn’t about to get into a fight with Jared, not when he was in such a state over Jensen. Not only was Jared older than him, Jared was his sire and he knew he needed to defer to him, especially when he was trying to get to the one he saw as his mate. He watched as Jared granted access to whoever it was who had rung the bell and then flung the door open and stepped out into the hall. He turned to Christian and Chad. “I think once he knows Jensen’s alright, we should clear out.”

“Yeah, and maybe go pay this Justin a visit. He needs to be set straight on a few things,” Christian responded in a heated voice as Chad nodded in agreement. He turned his attention back to the hallway when he heard Jared’s voice.

“Jensen,” Jared breathed out in relief when he saw him step out of the elevator. He looked pale and upset, but not hurt. He found himself clenching and unclenching his hands before he closed the distance between them and pulled Jensen into a tight embrace and he could feel Jensen shaking. “Tell me what happened,” he coaxed softly as he pulled away from Jensen, led Jensen inside and closed the door behind them. 

“I got home and went to get myself a glass of water. Justin must have been in his room, because I didn’t see him, and then he was just there, blocking the way to my room, demanding to know if I . . .” Jensen took a stuttered breath as he tried to find the courage to tell Jared the rest as he looked into Jared’s angry hazel eyes. 

“He what?” Jared asked as he ran his hands up and down Jensen’s arms, hoping to soothe him. 

Jensen felt his cheeks begin to burn from embarrassment, but he started to answer Jared’s question, “He asked if I . . .” He glanced over at the three men who were clearly listening, even from the other side of the room, and then dropped his eyes to the floor before continuing. “He asked if I bent over for you,” he said in a hushed voice. He heard Jared’s low growl in response. “Then he kissed me. I pulled away from him, told him that we were roommates, friends. That’s when he blew up at me. He saw the necklace and asked if I whored myself out. Then he told me I better think things over between us if I wanted to keep living there.”

Hearing what Jensen had just gone through had Jared trying to contain his rage. He pulled Jensen to his chest and wrapped him in a protective embrace. “Did he do anything else to you?” As much as he dreaded the answer, he needed to know so he could dole out an acceptable punishment.

“No, no, he just went back into his room. I mean, he was pretty drunk, but if he’s serious about things, then I need to find someplace to live.” Jensen pulled away from Jared. “I’m sorry. I should go, you don’t need to deal with this drama. My book should be in another week or two, then I can return yours and you won’t have to see me again.” He started for the door, only to be stopped by Jared’s hand catching his.

“Where are you going?” Jared asked in disbelief.

Without looking at Jared, Jensen answered him, “I have to work things out. I don’t have any place else to live. My grant won’t cover the expense. Justin’s letting me stay there rent free. I just pay half the utilities. I have to fix things.” He could feel his breathing quickening and his heart beating rapidly as he began to panic. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come here, burdened you . . .”

Jared could sense that Jensen was nearing his breaking point and cut him off. “You’re not burdening me. What did I tell you earlier tonight? I’m falling for you and I thought you felt the same way.” He saw Jensen shake his head yes in response before continuing, “We’ll figure things out. Just take a moment to calm down,” he said as he led Jensen over to the couch. “Let me say goodbye to my friends and then we’ll talk.” He let go of Jensen and turned toward the three men. He met them at the door and gave a shake of his head when he saw Mike cock his head to the side, knowing what they were thinking as he looked at them.

“We got this, just give us the address,” Christian gritted out and then heard Jared whisper Jensen’s address. 

“We’re gonna go, let you figure things out,” Mike said as he looked over at Jensen. “Don’t worry, things have a way of working out.”

Jensen raised his eyes to look at the others, wanting to say something, but by the time he had thought of what to say, they were gone and Jared was by his side again. “I didn’t mean for your friends to leave.”

Jared held up his hands, stopping Jensen from saying anything else. “Don’t worry about that, or them. You’re strung out, I’m gonna get you some clothes to change into while you go take a shower, then you’re going to get some sleep.”

“Jared, I can’t impose on you like that.”

“You’re not. Things will be better in the morning, trust me,” Jared replied as he helped Jensen up and led him into his bedroom and into the en suite. “The shower’s pretty self-explanatory and there are fresh towels under the sink. I’ll leave the clothes for you on the bed.” He ran through things in his mind, happy that he had remembered to have the damage he had caused to the shower repaired. Jensen wasn’t as tall as him, so a pair of his sweatpants would be too long on him. He was sure he had a pair of shorts he could lend him, he just needed to dig them out of his dresser. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Jensen’s voice.

“Jared, I can’t . . .”

“You can, and you’ll stay here tonight. No arguments. I just want to know you’re safe. Then, in the morning you can figure things out. I’ll take the couch, and don’t worry about it.” Before Jensen could protest, Jared turned and left the bathroom to find him something to change in to. When he had finished with that, he walked out of his bedroom, shutting the door to give Jensen his privacy.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Jensen turned on the shower, letting the water warm while he started to undress. As Jensen let the hot water cascade over his shoulders, he thought about Jared’s words, ‘ _ Trust me’ _ . The strange thing was, he did trust Jared. He felt safe with Jared, cared for and like he mattered to Jared. He had never really had that before and he was pretty sure he didn’t want it to end. 

With a soft sigh, he shut the water off, stepped out and dried himself off before going in search of the promised clothes. He found a t-shirt and a pair of shorts on the bed. He slipped into the too large clothing before going in search of Jared.

Jared’s mind was screaming  _ Mine, mine, mine _ at him and he was fighting his primal urge to take his mate and claim him, even if it was against his will. He shook his head and then pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes. No, he wouldn’t do that to Jensen. He wanted Jensen to willingly accept him. If Jensen didn’t, well, he’d accept his decision and his own fate. He wasn’t giving up hope just yet, not until he had made Jensen the offer to be turned and mated to him. He still had some time before all of that had to take place. His main concern right then was to make sure Jensen was alright and that he at least felt safe with him. 

Hearing Jensen clearing his throat, Jared turned away from the windows he had been standing in front of to look at him. He took in the sight of Jensen standing a few feet away from him, wearing his clothes.  _ Mate! _ His mind screamed at seeing that. He licked his lips as he tried to calm himself down, hoping he didn’t do anything stupid to scare Jensen off. “Hey,” he said softly and gave Jensen a dimpled smile. “All settled for the night? Do you need anything?”

“I really feel bad about putting you out of your own bed.” He glanced over his shoulder in the direction of Jared’s bedroom and more pointedly, the bed, which was huge. “The bed is . . . Well, it’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen. I’m sure we could share it,” he said and then dropped his eyes to the floor as he felt his cheeks begin to burn.

Jared took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to gather as much willpower as he could. The offer was tempting, too tempting. “Jensen, as much as I’d like that, I can’t.” He saw the hurt in Jensen’s green eyes when he raised his head to look up at him. He ran his hands through his hair as he tried to find the words to explain things to Jensen, to dispel his hurt and doubt. “I don’t want you to think that you have to offer something you’re not ready to give.” He crossed the room, closing the distance between them to capture Jensen in a heated kiss. “Don’t think that I don’t want you, I do, but that’s not what tonight is about. It’s about giving you a place to stay where you feel comfortable and safe.” He pulled away from Jensen, needing to distance himself from the man he saw as his mate, who he wanted to spend eternity with. “Look, why don’t you get some sleep,” he suggested. “I have some paperwork to go over. What time do you need to get up for class, maybe we can have breakfast together before you leave?”

“No, it’s okay, I need to be there for eight. I’ll need to leave earlier so I can go home and change.” He felt himself begin to panic at that, going home. Did he even have a home to go back to? Would Justin really kick him out? Could he trust Justin not to destroy what little he had? All he had was his car, clothes, books and an old laptop and equally old printer he had managed to purchase second-hand before he had moved to California. 

He could sense Jensen rising panic and reached out to place his hands on his shoulders. “Hey, we’ll figure things out, I told you that. Please, don’t get yourself worked up over it.” He watched as Jensen shook his head in understanding.

Jensen backed away from Jared. “I’m gonna try to get a little bit of studying done before I turn in.” Quietly he turned away from Jared and disappeared into the bedroom. He grabbed his backpack and tossed it onto the bed before joining it. He pulled out his books and forced himself to study for his upcoming test. He managed to last an hour before his vision began to get blurry and he found himself starting to doze off. He rolled onto his side, curled up against Jared’s pillows and drifted off to sleep.

Jared could hear Jensen’s breathing starting to taper off into the even pattern of sleep. He smiled at the thought of Jensen asleep in his bed and couldn’t stop himself from looking in on him. He felt at peace when he laid his hazel eyes on Jensen, lying on his side with his head resting on his pillow and hands tucked up under his chin. Silently, he padded into the room, removed Jensen’s books from the bed and placed them on the nightstand. He pulled the blanket that had been folded down up to cover Jensen before he retreated back into the living room. He grabbed his cell phone and placed a call. “Is the situation handled?” he questioned when Christian answered the call.

“Yeah, he won’t be bothering Jensen again and there shouldn’t be any further problems, unless he wants another visit from us. We’re gonna head over to the bar, if you want to join us,” Christian stated before ending the call once he heard Jared decline the offer. 

With a satisfied smile on his face, Jared settled himself onto the couch, content with the knowledge that Jensen was safe and asleep in the next room.

Chad, Mike and Christian piled into the elevator without speaking to each other. It wasn’t until they were at Jensen’s apartment when Chad spoke, breaking the silence. “So, we’re just going to talk to him? We’re not going to drain him, are we?” Chad asked as he licked his lips in anticipation.

“As much as I’d love to, the answer’s no. We can’t create a situation where Jensen gets spooked.” Chrisitan saw the anger that flashed across Chad’s face. “Don’t think I don’t want to. I want nothing more than to inflict some fear into him. That assholes’ got no right doing what he did.”

“We can make it look like he just disappeared,” Mike suggested. 

Chad was about to respond when Christian rang the bell to Jensen’s apartment. To his amazement, they were allowed entrance without Justin asking who it was. They were met by Justin as he threw the door open.

“What, did you forget your key?” Justin smirked and then paled as he looked up to see the three men standing in front of him. “Who the hell are you?”

Mike placed a hand on Justin’s chest and pushed him inside, cutting off his protest as the door was closed and locked behind them. He saw the look of fear on the man’s face and gave a smirk of his own. “We’re friends of Jared’s and we saw Jensen tonight. You made a very unwise choice in what you did.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Justin asked as he looked at the three men. 

“If you ever make Jensen feel uncomfortable in his own home again . . . Well, let’s just say our next visit won’t be so friendly,” Christian snarled as he pushed Justin up against the wall. “You don’t touch him, you don’t bother him, in fact you don’t even think about him. Am I making myself understood?”

“You can’t just come in here and push me around. Get off me,” Justin sputtered as he tried to push Christian away from him. “I don’t know what he told you, or what he told his sugar daddy, Jared . . .”

“You’re gonna want to stop right there,” Chad interjected as he stepped closer to Justin. “Jared is very protective of Jensen, which means so are we, by default. It doesn’t matter how long they’ve been seeing each other, just know that if you try anything like this again, it won’t end well for you.”

“Right, and you’re gonna what, come back and push me around?” Justin responded with a sneer.

“No, we’re going to do so much worse,” Christian snarled, letting his canines start to distend. He flicked his tongue over one, drawing Justin’s attention to his mouth.

Wh . . . What are you?” Justin stammered.

“Your worst nightmare if you bother Jensen again,” Mike offered with a smile, making sure his extended canines were on display. 

“So, from here on out, you’re not going to upset Jensen again. You’re not going to try to kiss him or bed him, and you’re certainly not going to make him find another place to live. Right?” Chad said evenly.

“R . . . right,” Justin stammered out in agreement. “I won’t go near him.”

Christian let go of Justin and backed away from him, “Oh, and you won’t mention this little get together we had tonight. Ever.”

Justin shook his head in a stunned response.

“I’m glad we could come to an understanding and clear this situation up,” Mike said as he gave Justin a cold smile. “Well, we’ll be going now.”

“Remember your manners and we won’t have to pay you another visit,” Christian commented as he made his way to the door, followed by Mike and Chad. 

“I still think we should have drained him dry,” Chad pouted as they left the apartment building.

Christian threw his head back and laughed at Chad’s comment, wishing they had done just that. “Come on, let’s go to the bar. I’m sure we can find someone to satisfy your appetite with.” Hearing his cell phone ringing, he dug it out of his pocket to see who was calling him. He didn’t have a chance to say hello before he heard Jared’s voice questioning if things had been handled. “Yeah, he won’t be bothering Jensen again and there shouldn’t be any further problems, unless he wants another visit from us. We’re gonna head over to the bar, if you want to join us,” he offered, knowing Jared would most likely decline since Jensen was still there. He heard Jared’s ‘No’, in response and then ended the call. He looked at Mike and Chad, “Let’s get something to eat.” 


	8. Chapter 8

While Jensen slept, Jared made use of his time, going over any paperwork that needed his attention for his businesses and legal documents that his lawyer had sent him to look over. When he had finished with that, he quietly checked on Jensen before grabbing a change of clothes and left his bedroom. He made his way into the small guest room to use the en suite. He could have given Jensen the room to stay in, but he liked the idea of having Jensen in his bed, even if it was only for one night. 

Once showered and dressed in fresh clothes, he wandered down into the cafe to grab some pastries, fruit and yogurt before anyone came in to start their shift. He had made sure to purchase the items he had needed to cook their dinner last night, but nothing else. At the time, there hadn’t been a need to have any other food on hand, since he had only planned on cooking dinner for Jensen. If Jensen started to come over more, he would have to make sure to have food to offer him. 

He made his way back to his apartment, and placed the pilfered items in the refrigerator as he heard Jensen begin to stir. He set about making Jensen coffee so it was ready when he appeared. As he was grabbing a mug from the cabinet, he heard soft movement coming from behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see a sleepy looking Jensen standing there, still in his borrowed clothes, rubbing his eyes. He had to force himself not to drop the mug in favor of claiming Jensen right then and there. “Coffee?” he finally asked when he had regained control over himself and saw the bright smile that spread over Jensen’s face. “I don’t have much to offer for breakfast, just some pastries, fruit and yogurt.”

“Coffee, definitely coffee,” Jensen responded. “And, maybe some yogurt, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all,” Jared assured Jensen as he handed him the freshly brewed coffee. He pulled open the refrigerator door to see exactly which flavors of yogurt he had grabbed. “Strawberry or vanilla?” 

“Vanilla,” Jensen answered as he took a seat at the kitchen island. “Thank you for this and for letting me stay here last night.”

“You’re always welcome here,” Jared responded, hoping the sincerity he felt was conveyed in his voice.

“Thanks, I might just take you up on that,” Jensen said and then blushed. “I should probably get going. I’ve taken up enough of your time and hospitality.” He eyed the clock on the stove, “Is that the time? Shit, I overslept. I won’t have enough time to go home and change, let alone grab anything else I might need.” He pushed aside the mug and yogurt, slipped off the stool and disappeared into Jared’s bedroom to gather his books, his backpack and change into his clothes from the night before. Quickly he folded the borrowed clothes and then hurried out to the living room. Before he could pull open the apartment door, he was stopped by Jared.

“Hey, take a breath. Do you have to work tonight?” He watched as Jensen shook his head yes. “Do you get a break? I can stop by and bring you something to eat,” Jared offered.

“I’ll probably be studying or trying to finish my paper,” Jensen answered apologetically. 

“Here, at least take this,” Jared replied as he fished out his wallet, pulled out some cash and pressed it into Jensen’s hand. 

“I can’t take your money,” Jensen responded as he tried to force it back into Jared’s hand.

Jared pulled his hand away before Jensen was able to return the money. “You hardly ate breakfast, it’ll make me feel better knowing that I was at least able to treat you to lunch.” Jared shoved his hands into his pockets, rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet and grinned at Jensen. “You better get going, if you want to make it to your first class on time.”

Jensen gave Jared a dark look before he shoved the money into his pocket, knowing not only had he lost the fight, but Jared was right, he had to leave. “Fine, you win,” he grumbled and then found himself pulled into a kiss by Jared.

“Call me later,” Jared murmured against Jensen’s lips before letting him go. 

“I will,” Jensen called over his shoulder as he pulled the door open and stepped into the hallway.

Jared watched as Jensen made his way into the elevator and gave him a little wave as the doors closed on him. He wasn’t happy at having to watch Jensen leave, but he was at least satisfied in knowing that he had been able to provide for Jensen in some way. 

Half way through his day, Jensen was able to call Jared. “Hey, I’m in between classes and grabbing something to eat. Thank you again for that and last night.”

Jared chuckled into the phone. “No need to thank me. I told you, I care about you. I can see a future with you,” he said softly. “I’m not trying to push you into anything you’re not ready for. I know we really haven’t had a chance to talk about things, but I just want you to know that I’m willing to give you whatever you want from me.” He heard Jensen’s soft gasp and silently cursed himself for not only admitting that to Jensen, but for doing it over the phone. “I’m sorry, I should have said that to you in person and I probably should have waited for a better time to say anything.”

“Well, it would have been better to hear it in person,” Jensen admitted. “But, I feel the same way.”

“Does that mean we’re going steady?” Jared quipped and then heard Jensen groan into the phone.

“You’ve got to stop reading those crappy romance novels. I’ve gotta go, my next class is starting soon.”

“Call me when you can,” Jared replied before ending the call. He shoved his cell phone into his pocket as Mike approached him. 

“You’re smiling, so you must have been talking to Jensen,” Mike teased.

“Shouldn’t you be working? I’m not paying you to stand around and gossip,” Jared groused. 

Mike’s response was a chuckle as he turned to walk back in the direction of the cafe. “You’re hopelessly in love,” he called over his shoulder in a singsong voice. He not only knew the look of someone in love, he himself was in love, but the way someone acted when they were head over heels in love with someone. He was thankful that Jared had finally met his mate, removing the fear that he himself would have had to watch Cassie, the one he saw as his own mate become Jared’s. With Jared’s blessing, he had recently mated with Cassie, turning her from a human to a vampire.

“You’re fired,” Jared retorted as he tried to hide his dimpled grin. He heard Mike’s laughter filter through the store as he turned to greet the customer who had just walked in. 

When Jensen returned to his apartment that night, he found Justin sitting on the couch reading. He stood there for a moment wondering what to do. Did he ignore Justin and just retreat to his room or did he talk to him, and try to work things out? The decision was taken out of his hands when Justin closed his book, tossed it onto the coffee table and looked up at him.

“I’m sorry about the other day. I was drunk, not that it’s an excuse. I was way out of line and it will never happen again. You have nothing to worry about, I’m not going to kick you out. You’re welcome to live here, under the same arrangement as before, as long as you want to,” Justin offered with a tight smile. 

Jensen let out the breath he had been holding, relieved to hear those words coming from Justin. He had feared the worst, despite Jared’s reassurance that things would work themselves out in his favor. “Thanks,” he simply said. “I’m gonna turn in.” He disappeared into his room, happy that things had worked themselves; Justin had apologized, he still had a place to live and he had Jared. He grabbed his phone from his backpack and sent a short text to Jared, letting him know that he had been right about things working out and that he was going to bed. A few moments later his phone beeped indicating he had received a text. He looked at it and smiled when he saw the message was from Jared wishing him a good night.

By the end of the week, Jensen was happy, but exhausted. He had finished and turned in his paper for his Sociology class. He had also taken and passed his test in his PT class. He had ended a long day of classes and work and had curled up in bed, ready to fall when he realized had hadn’t spoken to Jared since Monday. He reached for his phone, to call Jared and noticed a missed call and text from him. He looked at his phone in confusion wondering why he hadn’t noticed that he had missed Jared’s attempts to get in touch with him, until it dawned on him that he had shut his ringer off in order to concentrate on his paper. “Shit,” he mumbled as he read the text and listened to the message before quickly dialing Jared’s number. “I’m sorry, I just looked at my phone. I forgot that I had turned the ringer off so I could get my essay finished,” he rushed out when Jared answered the phone.

Jared chucked into the phone. “Hey, I get it, no need to apologize. So, how was your week? I take it that you finished your essay. How’d you do on your tested?” Jared inquired.

“I turned it in today and it’s a relief to have that done, but I’m pretty happy with what I wrote. We got our grades back on our test and I got an A,” Jensen replied proudly.

“That’s fantastic, not that I doubted you for a minute. So, we need to celebrate. When are you free?”

“Actually, I’m not working for the next two nights.”

“That means you’re all mine,” Jared purred into the phone. “How about I pick you up tomorrow around six? Just dress casually.”

“That’s all the information you’re going to give me, isn’t it?”

“Exactly, except to tell you to pack an overnight bag, if you want. You can stay here for the night. It’s just a suggestion, there’s no pressure. I’ll take you home if you want me to after we go out.”

Jensen felt himself blushing from Jared’s words. “Uhm, okay. I’ll see you tomorrow night, and I’ll think about staying the night.”

“Okay, Sweet dreams,” Jared said quietly before ending their call. Tomorrow night, he’d be able to see Jensen. Whether he stayed the night or not, it made no difference to him. His interest was in being able to be with his mate.

Saturday morning had Jensen rolling out of bed and stumbling into the shower before he had his coffee. Once showered and dressed, he made his way out to the kitchen to discover that Justin had a cup of steaming coffee waiting for him. He stopped in his tracks, surprised at Justin’s sudden change in personality. “Thanks,” he said cautiously as he accepted the offered cup of coffee.

“You’re welcome,” Justin responded as he walked past Jensen and into the living room. “So, do you have any plans today?” 

Jensen looked over at Justin to see him sitting on the couch, watching him. He still hadn’t forgotten the stunt Justin had pulled last week. They were roommates, had been bordering on friends up until last weekend. “Yeah, studying and then Jared is picking me up.” He waited for Justin’s reaction to hearing that, he hadn’t been shy in voicing his dislike of Jared.

“Cool,” Justin responded as he grabbed the TV remote and turned it on, focusing his attention on whatever was playing on the screen.

Jensen shook his head and turned away to grab himself something to eat. A half hour later, he was back in his room with his books strewn about his bed. He had a bag packed with what he would need, if he decided to spend the night at Jared’s. He smiled at that thought, thankful that he didn’t feel pressured by Jared for anything more than he was ready to give. He lost himself in his studying and jumped when there was a knock on his door. He looked up from his book, his face was scrunched up in confusion when he heard the voice on the other side of his door.

“Jensen?” Jared called out after knocking gently on the bedroom door. He waited patiently for Jensen to answer him. He took a step back when the door opened to reveal Jensen standing there looking at him with a confused look on his face.

“Jared?” Jensen breathed out. “Wh . . . what are you doing here?”

Jared chuckled. “Did you forget that I was picking you up tonight?” He cocked his head to the side and then reached out for Jensen, needing to touch him. 

“No, but you’re picking me up at six.” He turned to look at his clock to see what time it was and realized he had been so engrossed in studying that he had lost track of time. “God, I’m sorry,” he said as he turned back to Jared. “I lost track of time. I just need a few minutes to pick up my books,” he explained as he stepped back into his room, allowing Jared to follow him.

“So, this is your room?” Jared questioned, more to himself than to Jensen. The room had its own en suite, but the bedroom itself was small. It contained a bed, a nightstand which held a lamp and a laptop, a dresser, a small table that held a printer and another door, which he assumed was a closet. He watched as Jensen gathered his books and placed them in his backpack. He could feel his protectiveness over Jensen rising. He wanted to tell him to pack all of his stuff, that Jensen was his and he would be leaving tonight, that he would move in with him and never have to see this place or Justin again. But he stopped himself, he couldn’t do that, at least not yet, not until Jensen had accepted him and had been turned. He took a deep breath as his canines started to distend. He had to get himself under control before he did something he would regret, like claiming Jensen right there and then.

Jensen gave a shrug of his shoulders, “It’s not the biggest bedroom, but it’s mine,” he offered apologetically. Beginning to feel self-conscious, he rubbed at the back of his neck as he swept his eyes over his room. He knew it wasn’t the greatest or the biggest bedroom, but he was thankful for what he had.

Sensing Jensen’s growing unease, Jared snapped out of his thoughts. “No, it’s . . . I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It’s good, as far as bedrooms go and if you’re happy, then that’s all that matters.” He saw the shy smile that crept over Jensen’s face and gave him a small smile in return. “So, are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I just need to grab my bag and my jacket,” Jensen replied as he grabbed his jacket off of his bed and started for his bag. He stopped when Jared turned and picked it up. He bit his bottom lip when Jared turned back to him, with a surprised look on his face. “I figured . . . I mean . . . maybe?” He had no idea what he was trying to explain to Jared.

“No pressure, remember?” Jared said in a soft voice. He reached out for Jensen, taking his free hand in his and pulled Jensen to him. “I’ve missed you,” he murmured as he captured Jensen’s lips for a soft kiss, content that he had Jensen close to him. 

“Missed you, too,” Jensen responded as he felt all the tensen he had been holding seep from his body. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Jared’s shoulder for a moment, enjoying the feel of Jared’s strong arms around him. It had been a long and stressful week and he had ached at not being with Jared. He breathed out a sigh of contentment; he could stay like that, pressed up against Jared, and be happy. He felt Jared place a kiss to the top of his head and smiled before he pulled away. “Ready?” 

“Yes,” Jared replied as he entwined their fingers and led Jensen out of the apartment and to his car. He placed Jensen’s bag in the backseat and started the car. When they were both seatbelted, he pulled the car onto the street and started the drive. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jensen shifting in his seat and smiled, knowing he was trying not to ask where Jared was taking him. “Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy where we’re going.”

Jensen turned to regard Jared, opened his mouth to ask where that was, but only closed his mouth, knowing Jared wasn’t about to ruin whatever surprise he had in store for him. He settled himself back against his seat and watched as the sun began to set. He felt a weight settle on his thigh and he looked down to see Jared’s hand resting there. He gave Jared a smile and then laid his hand over Jared’s, not breaking contact until they pulled up to a large unassuming brick building. He noticed a line of people outside and he looked expectantly over at Jared who remained silent. He didn’t get a chance to say anything to Jared before a man appeared next to his door, opening it. His breath hitched in his throat until he heard Jared’s voice. He pulled his attention from the man who had opened his door to look at Jared. 

“Thanks,” Jared said as he handed his keys to a valet and then rounded the front of the car and walked toward Jensen. He slipped his hand into Jensen’s, “I hope you enjoy yourself,” he said as he led the way inside. He glanced over at Jensen to see the look of astonishment on his face. He knew what was going through Jensen’s mind. It looked like they had been transported back in time to the 1920’s as they stepped over the threshold of  _ The Last Call _ . 

“This is yours, isn’t it?” Jensen asked as they bypassed those who had been waiting to get inside. He saw the sly grin on Jared’s face. All he could do was shake his head and look around in wonder. The bar looked like it had been ripped out of time; giving off the atmosphere of a speakeasy and he felt like at any minute the police would be busting through the doors to round them up for having illegal alcohol. He tugged at Jared’s hand, trying to get his attention. “This is incredible,” he said as Jared turned his hazel eyes on him.

Jared saw the sparkle of excitement in Jensen’s eyes and felt a thrum of satisfaction running through his body. “Let’s get you a drink,” Jared responded as he gently nudge Jensen toward the bar. 

As they approached the bar, Christian looked up from the drink he had been pouring and flashed them a smile. He finished waiting on his patron and then turned his attention toward Jared and Jensen. He nodded at Jared as he acknowledged Jensen, “So, what can I get you?” 

“A beer?” Jensen answered.

“Are you sure about that?” Christian teased with a raised eyebrow. “Bottle or tap?”

“Whatever is easiest.” Jensen watched as Christian pulled two beers out of a beer cooler behind the bar, removed the caps and placed them down on the bar in front of Jared and himself. “Thanks,” he said as he picked up the bottle, raised it to his lips and took a long pull off of it. “So, any other surprises tonight?”

“Nope, not that I have planned.” Jared responded with a shake of his head before he took a sip from his beer. “But then again, the night’s still young.” He watched as Jensen turned around, and leaned against the bar to take in what was going on around him. He knocked shouldered with Jensen to get his attention. “Wanna dance?” Jared asked as he pointed to the dance floor and then held out his hand.

Jensen took another sip from his beer, placed it on the bar and then took Jared’s offered hand. He felt himself being pulled along behind Jared and then spun around as they took to the dance floor. He felt his cheeks heat up from the attention Jared was showering him with and took a moment to settle himself. Slowly he stepped into Jared’s space as Jared held out his arms to him, too afraid that he would stumble and ruin the moment. Jared’s muscular arms encircled him, pulling him flush against Jared’s body, and they began to move to the music. That song ended and led into another as they continued to dance, not breaking contact. It wasn’t until they heard Mike’s voice that they pulled away from each other.

“Hey you two, get a room,” Mike called out.

“Way to break the mood, Mike. You’re so mature,” Chad commented. “I still don’t know why you remain friends with him, Jared. He’s got the mentality of a ten year old.” 

“Takes one to know one,” Christian quipped as Jared and Jensen made their way back over to the bar.

“Thirsty?” Jared inquired as he placed an arm around Jensen’s shoulder. He felt Jensen lean into him as he ran his hand up and down Jensen’s back. 

“No, I’m good.” He was content to stand there in Jared’s embrace and listen to the buzz of conversations taking place around him. He loved the feel of Jared’s body next to his, and of Jared’s hand on his back.

Jared tilted Jensen’s chin up as he leaned down to capture his lips in a bruising kiss. He licked along the seam of Jensen’s lips and pushed his tongue in to tangle with Jensen’s when he parted his lips. He pulled Jensen to him, encircling him with both arms. He heard a soft gasp from Jensen as their kiss intensified and then Jensen went stiff in his arms. He looked at Jensen in surprise to see that Jensen was looking at him in shock. “Jensen?” he questioned as he felt Jensen trying to pull away from him.


	9. Chapter 9

Jensen leaned into Jared as he was kissed by him. When he felt Jared’s tongue seeking entrance, he opened his mouth to him as he lost himself in their kiss. He gave a little gasp as Jared kissed him harder, not wanting it to stop. Suddenly, his mind was overwhelmed by images of Jared, of him covered in blood, of him drinking blood, of Jared’s elongated canine teeth sinking into flesh, human flesh as he fed and then pulled away to lick at the blood running down his chin. He stiffened in Jared’s arms and then raised his arms, placed his hands on Jared’s chest. He didn’t feel a heartbeat. How was that even possible? How had he missed that? That Jared’s heart wasn’t beating, had those other visions, the ones he had thought of as his overactive mind playing tricks on him, really been trying to clue him into the danger he was in? He pushed himself away from Jared, needing to distance himself from Jared, from whatever Jared was.

“Jensen?” Jared said, concern clearly heard in his voice. He looked over at Chad, Christian and Mike who looked just as concerned as he was. “Jensen, are you alright?” He reached out to touch Jensen, only to have his hand swatted away.

“What are you, because you’re not human,” Jensen uttered as he backed away from Jared in fear.

Jared gave him a pained smile. “Please, let me explain,” he said, not moving from where he stood, too afraid of scaring Jensen any more than he already was. He could see and feel Jensen’s terror as he stood there looking at him, like he was waiting for him to do something to hurt him. “Just not here, alright. Let’s go back to my apartment so we can talk and I’ll explain everything.”

Jensen turned to look at Chad, Christian and Mike, “You . . . did you know?” He watched as the three men looked at each other and then Jared before Mike stepped forward.

“Jensen, just hear him out . . .”

Jensen raised a hand to Mike, trying to protect himself. “No, you . . . you stay away from me!” He didn’t give any of them a chance to say anything else. He turned and fled from them, weaving between bodies until he reached the door. He pushed the door to the club open, and he prayed that he wouldn’t be grabbed and pulled back in. As he stood outside, he looked up and down the street, trying to figure out how he was going to get home to the safety of his apartment. He heard the door being opened behind him, and he glanced back to see Jared. He heard Jared calling his name, but he couldn’t go to him. He turned away, trying to find a way to get some distance between himself and Jared. He spotted the cab pulling up to the curb and ran to it, not caring if it had been meant for someone else. As the female passengers slid out from the backseat, he pushed his way passed them and into the car, slamming and locking the doors. The driver turned and glared at him, his mouth opened to say something, but the look of desperation on his face must have made the man think twice. “Please, just drive.” 

“Sure thing, kid,” the cabbie responded and pulled the idling car away from the curb. 

Jensen heard his name being called and fearfully looked back to see Jared standing at the curb, surrounded by Chad, Christian and Mike. He felt his heart hammering in his chest as he recoiled from the sight, pushing himself away from the door. He cowered against the farthest door until the cab turned the corner and Jared was out of sight.

“You alright, kid?” the cabbie asked as he glanced at Jensen in his rearview mirror. “You need me to take you to a hospital or the police station?”

Jensen shook his head. “No, just home,” he responded and then rambled off his address. He heard his phone ringing, he fished in his pocket and pulled it out. He looked down to see Jared’s name flash across the screen. He hit ignore and clenched the phone in his hand, and then jumped when it dinged, indicating that he had a voicemail. A few moments later his phone buzzed, indicating he had received a text. He ignored his phone, hoping that Jared would leave him alone. His phone sounded a few more times and he opted for turning off the sound.

“Friend trouble?” the cabbie asked.

Jensen just shook his head, too afraid that his voice would betray his emotions if he spoke.

“Well, for what it’s worth, he looked just as upset as you do,” the cabbie commented and then went silent for the rest of the drive, only speaking again when he pulled up to Jensen’s address. “Well, you’re here,” he said as he looked at Jensen through the rearview mirror before telling Jensen how much he owed for the cab ride.

“Thanks,” Jensen said as he handed the driver the money and then slid out from the backseat. He watched as the cab pulled away and then made his way inside and to his apartment. He hoped that Justin was either out or in his own bedroom so he wouldn’t have to answer any awkward questions as to why he was back. Even though they didn’t hang out, he had mentioned his plans to Justin, that he was going out with Jared and possibly spending the night. To his relief, the apartment was dark when he made his way to his room. 

He silently closed his door and laid down on his bed. He pulled out his phone and read the text messages from Jared, begging him to just talk to him, to let him explain things, that he wasn’t in any danger, that Jared loved him. Jared’s voicemail stated the same thing. He just couldn’t handle that, he turned his phone off and tossed it onto his nightstand. He had no idea what he was going to do. He brought both hands up to his forehead and began to massage his temples, wondering if he was in danger, would Jared show up at his home, what would Jared do if he refused to speak to him or even see him? He closed his eyes, letting the tears that he had been holding at bay slip freely down his cheeks. He loved Jared, that much he had been aware of. Now, he wasn’t sure about anything. 

When he woke the next morning, he rolled over and eyed his phone. There were more messages from Jared, begging him to call. He couldn’t pick up the phone to call or text him, he didn’t know what to say. Each day he felt the urge to call Jared, to hear his voice, but he fought it. He missed Jared, it felt like a part of him was missing. But as time went on, he still had no idea what to say to Jared, and to make it worse, Jared had stopped calling or texting him. Sadly, he figured that Jared had moved on from him.

Two weeks had gone by without Jared hearing from Jensen. He got up and went about his day as he had in the past, but he was on autopilot, not really caring what had been going on around him, and he hadn’t been feeding. He had given up. He ached for his mate, needing to be near him, hear his voice, see him, but Jensen had refused to return any of his calls or texts. He had taken the hint and left Jensen alone, choosing to let him go.

“This is ridiculous,” Chad huffed out as he looked over at Jared. “Call him!”

“I have, and he hasn’t returned any of my calls,” Jared admitted.

“Then go see him,” Chad responded angrily and watched as Jared just shook his head. “What, are you just going to give up on him? He’s your mate.”

“And he doesn’t want me,” Jared replied, not bothering to hide the longing in his voice.

“Then fight for him!” Chad yelled in frustration. 

“I’m not going to force him. He may be my mate, but I have to let him go, he doesn’t want me now that he knows I’m something other than human.” He had hoped that Jensen would have contacted him, but the man’s silence spoke volumes. Jared’s fears had come true, his mate had rejected him.

“Fuck this!” Chad called out as he left Jared’s apartment. Unseen, he had grabbed the bag Jensen had left in Jared’s car. If nothing else, he could use it as an excuse to see him, pretending he was doing Jensen a favor by returning it to him.

“Where are you going?” Mike called after him. He looked at Christian, who only shrugged in response when Chad stormed off without answering him. 

“Can I do anything for you?” Christian asked Jared, not really knowing what he could do for him. He knew Jared was hurting, that he was longing for Jensen, for the one he saw as his mate. 

“No, and you don’t have to stick around. I’m not going anywhere, and I won’t do anything stupid,” Jared told his friends. “Just go, I want to be alone. You have Cassie to go home to and you have a bar to run.” He saw the uncertainty on their faces and gave them a tired smile. “Please . . .”

“Alright, we’re going,” Christian muttered.

“We are?” Mike asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Christian responded as he pulled Mike to the door. “Call us if you need anything,” Christian called over his shoulder as Jared closed the door behind them.

Jared scoffed at Christian’s words. What he needed was his mate. He wanted Jensen back.

Chad knocked on Jensen’s apartment door. “Jensen, I know you’re in there.” When he didn’t get a response, he started to pound on it. “Come on, open the damn door. I’m not leaving until you do and we talk,” he yelled.

Jensen cringed from hearing that. He couldn’t let Chad bother the others living in the building, but he also didn’t want to open the door. With a defeated sigh, he made his way to the door as the knocking got louder. He pulled open the door and stood there, glaring at Chad. “What do you want?” he asked from behind gritted teeth.

“Just to talk to you and to return this.” Chad held up the bag Jensen had left in Jared’s car the night he had discovered that Jared wasn’t exactly human or alive. “Do you mind if we do this inside?” Chad asked as he jutted his chin out toward the inside of the apartment. 

“Fine,” Jensen huffed out and moved aside allowing Chad to enter. After closing the door, he turned to Chad, “Okay, talk.” 

Chad snorted at him and rolled his eyes. “Look, I know you’re a little freaked out . . .”

Jensen sarcastically chuckled at Chad, “A little?” 

“Jensen, it’s only natural to be frightened . . .”

“Wait, you’re his friend,” Jensen said more to himself than Chad. He focused his green eyes on Chad, narrowing them as a thought came to him. “You know what he is. Are you . . . are you the same, as him?” Jensen asked and then began to back away from Chad.

“Vampire,” Chad said calmly like it was a common, everyday thing.

“Excuse me?” Jensen stared at Chad, wondering if he had heard him right. “Did you say vampire?” 

Chad flashed him a smile, closed his lips over his teeth and then gave Jensen another smile, displaying his elongated canines. 

Jensen scrambled away from Chad, trying to put as much distance between himself and the creature standing in his apartment. Wide-eyed he looked around, trying to find a place of safety to go to, or a weapon to use should he need it. “Oh my god, you’re here to ki . . .”

Chad held up his hands, trying to stop Jensen from obviously freaking out. “I’m not going to hurt you, none of us are. You asked what we are and I answered you. We’ve never hurt or killed anyone, unless they were a threat to us, and that was a long time ago. We’re able to hide in plain sight, blend in and exist right along next to you. That’s all we want.”

“How do you . . .” Jensen stopped speaking, trying to find a tactful way of asking his question. Realizing there wasn’t one, he blurted out, “How do you get blood? You do drink blood, right?”

“Yes, that’s how we survive. The older ones, like Jared, don’t need it as much, they’re able to go weeks if not longer without feeding. We find willing humans, ones we can trust not to reveal our existence to the world, to feed from, and they’re compensated very well. We never take more than what we need to survive. Jared, sired me, Christian and Mike. We were friends before he offered to turn us, and he never forced any of us to turn. He taught us how to survive and we’ve always followed his rules.”

“Can he . . . can he force me to . . . Could he make me do things? Can he make me fall in love with him?” Jensen questioned, not sure what he wanted the answer to be. 

Chad threw his head back and laughed at Jensen’s question. “Sorry,” he said as he held up his hands in supplication. “All that crap you think you know about our kind, is just that, crap. We can’t force you to do anything you don’t want, just like any other human. While we prefer blood and need it to survive, we can and will eat human food so we blend in. Our bodies remember what it was like to be alive, almost like muscle memory, so we look like we’re breathing, blink our eyelids, but the only thing we can’t mimic is a heartbeat. Not the way you’re used to. Our hearts beat very slowly. A human wouldn’t be able to detect it. The blood we drink warms our bodies and when we go without and someone touches us, we’re cold, but we can just pass it off as we got cold, just like you would. We have feelings, just like you and we might not feel physical pain, but we feel emotional pain, just like you. We do have heightened senses, incredible speed and strength, but we don’t need to sleep, and contrary to popular belief, we can walk around in daylight. Although, the younger ones are sensitive to the sun, but there are ways around that. In a lot of ways we’re just like you, except the way we procreate is to turn someone.”

Jensen nodded in understanding, marveling at how logical this all sounded and that he wasn’t trying to escape from Chad. “If Jared turned you, then who turned him, and how old is he? How old are you?”

“A gentleman never reveals his age,” Chad quipped before turning serious. “As far as Jared is concerned, that’s his story to tell, you’ll have to ask him.”

“He’s . . . you’re a . . . vampire. You’re not supposed to exist. I’m not supposed to be in love with one,” Jensen admitted, shocking himself with saying those words out loud.

“Whatever you think of Jared, or whatever you think he is, ultimately, he’s just a guy who’s in love with you. You’re his mate, there’s no one else for him.”

Jensen stood staring at Chad as he tried to process what Chad had just said to him. “Mate, what does that even mean?” Jensen asked in confusion.

“Ask him,” Chad urged. “Just give him a chance. At least hear him out. Then, if you’ve changed your mind, you no longer feel the same way, then he’ll accept that. He won’t bother you ever again.” Chad turned to leave, stopped and turned back to Jensen. “At least think about it, about talking to him. He misses you,” Chad said sadly and then walked out of the apartment, leaving Jensen alone with his thoughts.

Jensen walked back to his room, feeling more confused than before speaking with Chad. He sat on his bed and ran his hands through his hair as he tried to gather his thoughts. He did miss Jared, that much he knew. He missed seeing him, talking to him, even texting him. He had admitted it to Chad before he even had a chance to admit it to himself, he was in love with Jared. He needed to make a decision, did he accept what he had been told, that vampires existed and go to Jared or did he pretend he didn’t know the truth and walk away from the man he loved? He still thought of Jared as a man, not a monster and he still loved him. Jensen looked over at the book Jared had lent him. He knew what he needed to do, he had made his decision. Picking up the book, he grabbed his keys and made his way to his car. It was time to face Jared.

Jared felt Jensen’s presence, and knew he was close. He stood up from the couch, crossed to the door and was about to pull it open when he heard a soft knock. With a shaking hand, Jared turned the knob and opened the door to find Jensen standing there. It felt like his world had stopped as they stood looking at each other. “Jensen,” he breathed out. 

“I got my book. So, I thought I should return yours,” Jensen said as he offered Jared the borrowed book. 

“Do you . . . do you want to come?” Jared brought his hand up and rubbed nervously at the back of his head. “Maybe we can talk, and I can explain things to you, if you want.” Jared watched as Jensen shook his head yes and then stepped back, allowing Jensen to enter his apartment 

“I’m willing to listen. I don’t know if I’m ready to do much else,” Jensen admitted.

“Uhm, we’re gonna go, let you two talk and figure things out,” Christian stated as he herded Chad and Mike toward the door. 

Jared barely heard them leave, he wasn’t even sure if he had said goodbye. All he was focused on was Jensen. Jensen was there with him and he was at least willing to talk, to hear him out. He was grateful for that, hopeful. “Do you want to sit down?” He motioned to the couch and watched as Jensen edged toward it and then sat down. He stood, rooted to the spot he was in, wondering if he should join him or keep his distance. “Can I get you something to drink?” 

Jensen shook his head no before he spoke, “Chad stopped by earlier and filled me in on some things about you, him, vampires.” He rubbed at the back of his head and then looked up at Jared. “How old are you?” he asked as he studied Jared. Trying to determine if it was a monster standing across the room from him, or the man he loved. He didn’t see any indication of a bloodthirsty creature standing in front of him. What he saw was Jared, the man who had shown him kindness when he needed it, who had somehow gotten past his defenses, the person he wanted to be with.

“My body is forever frozen at the age of twenty-five, but I’m just shy of five hundred,” Jared answered.

“How did it happen? Your death, or your decision to become a vampire?” Jensen giggled at saying that word. He had never thought he’d be asking someone how they had become a vampire, because before meeting Jared, vampires only existed in books, comics and movies. They weren’t real. 

“JD, my sire, found me, saved me. I had been stabbed in the stomach and left to die when the man trying to rob me realized I had nothing to steal. The smell of my blood drew JD into the alley. He was hungry, and my blood was too tempting, but when he saw me, he took pity on me. I knew I was dying, knew my fate had been sealed when the cold metal pierced my skin. But then JD was there, offering me a new life, a new way to live and I took it.

“I stayed with him for about a hundred years, learning from him; how to mimic being alive, how to go unnoticed, how to feed without harming anyone, how to pass for human, that like JD, I needed to find my mate.” Jared gave Jensen a shy smile as he dropped his head and peeked up at him from behind his bangs. “JD met his mate before siring me. They’re still together, and are still in love with each other. I had always hoped to find what they have. I was losing hope, until I met you.” 

“So, you think I’m your mate? What does that even mean?” Jensen asked, still trying to comprehend what Jared had just told him. Essentially, Jared had been murdered nearly five hundred years ago. Had Jared chosen not to take his sire’s offer, he would never have known Jared. His heartbeat stuttered in his chest at that thought. 

“It means there’s no one else for me. By the time one of us reaches our five hundredth birthday, we’ve chosen a mate, someone to bond with, teether ourselves to, to love, to cherish and to help maintain our sanity over such a long life span. It can get extremely lonely watching those you love grow old and die. It tends to drive us insane, then we either kill our coven outright, or ourselves, destroying the blood link and ultimately killing those we've sired who have not mated.”

Jensen sucked in a shocked breath. “Jared, that's a lot to take in.”

“Jensen, I've already made my peace with this world. If you decide that it's too much for you, or that you don't want me as a mate, I can and will accept that. I won't force you into it for the sake of living.”

Jensen looked up at Jared in shock. “But you'll die.” The thought of Jared dying was like a knife to his heart. He felt himself beginning to panic at the idea of Jared no longer being in the world with him. 

“There is an ending to everything,” Jared responded softly.

“But what about the others?”

“Mike has a mate, Cassie.” He chuckled and saw Jensen’s confused look. “Mike brought Cassie to me. He thought she would be a good mate for me, but she wasn’t. She was meant to be his mate. Chad and Christian are searching for theirs. Everything is in place should the time come and I don’t have a mate.” He gave a shrug of his shoulders and turned away from Jensen. He had seen the look of doubt in Jensen’s eyes, and he wasn’t going to push the man he loved into making a decision when he wasn’t ready. It would have been a selfish act, one he wouldn’t force Jensen to make just so he could continue to live.

“But, you can’t just give up,” Jensen murmured. He sat there, looking at Jared trying to figure out what to do or say that could convince him not to give up, knowing that he held Jared’s life in his hands. He raised his hands and scrubbed them down his face. He had been hit with a lot, admitting that he loved Jared, finding out about the existence of vampires, that Jared saw him as his mate and that without him, Jared would probably die. He heaved a heavy sigh as his mind wrapped itself around this knowledge. Had his mind had been trying to tell him all along what Jared was? Had he sensed it on some higher level? Was that why he had those dreams, the flashes of images of Jared covered in blood, of him baring his neck to Jared?

“Listen, you don’t have to make a decision tonight, or any time soon. I still have some time,” Jared told him as he turned and walked over to the windows to look out over the night sky. It had always been soothing to him, to watch the changing sky, to see the stars. Right then, it was easier to look out into the darkness then at Jensen. 

“The images, the ones I’ve had of you covered in blood, of me offering you . . .”

Hearing the confusion in his voice, Jared turned back to look at Jensen. “It was the pull between us, a bond. It happens from time to time. It’s not strong and will end once I do.” He turned back, not wanting to see the turmoil on Jensen’s face, he already sensed it coming from him. “I know this is a lot to take in, and you should probably go before I do something stupid because being this close to you, wanting you . . .” He pushed himself away from the windows and walked toward his bedroom. “Just make sure the door is locked on your way out,” he called over his shoulder as he disappeared into his room, shutting the door behind him.

Jensen continued to sit on the couch, not moving as he watched Jared leave the room. His head was spinning and his stomach was churning. He had to man up and make a choice, he knew that, despite Jared telling him he didn’t have to make one now, he eventually had to make one. He stood up from the couch and walked to the door, pushed it open to see Jared sitting on the edge of his bed, his elbows propped up on his knees and his head in his hands. He looked so defeated, so lost and seeing that broke his heart. “Jared,” he called softly before he entered the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Hearing his name, Jared raised his head from his hands to see Jensen standing in his bedroom. “Jensen,” he whispered, too shocked to do anything more at seeing Jensen standing there. He had no idea what that meant. Was Jensen still there to tell him that he had made his decision? If he was, if he had made his choice so quickly, he was pretty sure Jensen’s answer would be no. 

“I’ve made my decision.” He held up his hand, stopping Jared from interrupting him. “I don’t need more time. I want you, I want this. I want to be your mate. I think part of me has known since meeting you that we were meant to be together, maybe not to this extent, but there’s no way I can walk away from you, or be without you.

“Are you sure? Once we do this, there’s no going back. You’ll be mine, no one else’s,” Jared warned.

Jensen gave Jared a soft smile. “That’s all I’ve wanted was to be yours. I don’t need anyone else. I don’t want anyone else, just you. Finding out about everything, yes, it scared me, but it also made me admit something to myself.” He stopped himself from speaking any further, giving himself a moment to find the courage to admit the truth to Jared.

“What? What did you admit to yourself?” Jared questioned, trying to coax the answer from Jensen.

Jensen looked up into Jared’s hazel eyes and smiled, “That I’m in love with you.”


	10. Chapter 10

Jared reached out and pulled Jensen to him, leaned down and brushed his lips against Jensen’s. “Good, because I’m totally, head over heels in love with you, and I will only be yours,” he murmured into Jensen’s ear and then licked a stripe down Jensen’s neck. He felt Jensen shudder in his arms and heard the sweet sounding moan that escaped his lips. 

With a flurry of movements, both were naked and entangled with each other on Jared’s bed. Jensen lay prone, his green eyes staring up into Jared’s hazel ones before Jared shifted, bringing his lips to graze against his neck.

“God, finally. I’ve wanted this since I met you, wanted you,” Jared husked out against the warm skin of Jensen’s neck. He could feel Jensen trembling underneath him. 

Jensen reached up and ran his fingers through Jared’s hair, pushing it out of the way so he could look at Jared. Jared moved again to kiss him, and then licked along the seam of his lips, seeking entrance and swallowing his moan when he parts his lips. Then Jared kissed him open-mouthed, stealing his breath away. When Jared pulled away from him, he reached up, trying to pull him back down for another kiss, only to find Jared grasping his wrists.

Jared had Jensen’s wrists in his large hands, pinning them to the bed above his head. He smirked and looked down into wide, lust blown eyes. “Keep them there,” Jared husked out before moving to map Jensen’s body using his lips, tongue and fingers, trailing kissed down his chest and running his fingers over Jensen’s pecs, abs and hips.

Jensen was panting from Jared’s ministrations, wanting more, needing more. He wanted to reach out, to touch Jared, pull him back up to him so he could kiss him, but he had been told to leave his hands where Jared had placed them. He whined low in his throat, hoping to get Jared’s attention. 

Jared moved back up Jensen’s body, stopping to lick one of his nipples before moving to capture his lips for a needy kiss. He snaked his tongue into Jensen’s mouth, stealing his moan before he broke the kiss. “What do you want?” he asked as he began to move back down Jensen’s body.

“You, please,” Jensen whimpered and then bit his bottom lip as he bucked his hips up, trying to entice Jared into giving him more.

Jared placed his hand on Jensen’s stomach, with his fingers splayed wide open as he held him down, stopping him from trying to buck his hips again. He leaned down, sucked Jensen’s nipple into his mouth and bit down, causing Jensen to gasp. He swirled his tongue around the abused nub before letting it go. “Be good,” he said before reaching into his nightstand to retrieve a bottle of lube. 

Jensen tracked his movements, his green eyes watching as Jared grabbed a bottle of lube, but not a condom. His eyes widened and he forced himself to speak, to let Jared know what he wanted. “Condom,” he urged.

“Not human, so you don’t have to worry about anything,” Jared said as he opened the bottle and poured some lube on his fingers. He watched as Jensen nodded his head in understanding and then reached between his open legs.

Jared’s slicked fingers reach between his parted legs, circling around his rim before Jared gently pressed the tip of one in, giving him a moment to adjust before pushing in to the first knuckle. He groaned at the sensation of taking one of Jared’s fingers. Before he had a chance to do more than moan, Jared pulled out only to push back in with two fingers, working him open before adding a third. “Jared, please . . .” 

“Shhh, I’ve got you,” Jared murmured against the warm skin of Jensen’s thigh. He pumped his fingers back and forth, opening Jensen up in order to take his cock. When he was sure Jensen would be able to take him with minimal discomfort, he withdrew his fingers and Jensen’s whine of protest. He reached for the bottle of lube again, poured some out onto his hand and slicked his hard cock up, savoring the anticipation of sliding into Jensen’s warm body. 

Jensen watched as Jared slicked himself up, fisting himself before lining his rigid cock against his ass and pushed in. His eyes widened as Jared slowly kept going, filling him completely. His mind went blank, as he reached up with both hands, fingers wrapping around Jared’s biceps, needing to anchor himself to Jared. His breaths came in pants as his body adjusted itself to accept all of Jared’s hard cock. When he was sure he wasn’t going to break apart from being breached, he flexed his fingers, signaling to Jared that he could move.

Jared pulled out, only to push back in, setting up a slow pace as he listened to Jensen’s moans every time he hit his prostate. The smooth slide of skin against skin felt so good. Jensen was tight around him, like he had been made for him. He leaned down and kissed Jensen, swallowing his moans. He nuzzled at his neck, enjoying the warm skin against his body. “I love you,” he whispered against the shell of Jensen’s ear. 

“Love you too, Jared,” Jensen managed to get out before gasping from the stimulation his prostate was taking. He’d been aching for this, to be one with Jared. He was hard and his cock was trapped between their bodies. The friction from Jared’s body on his was maddening, teasing him. He wanted to reach between their bodies, wrap his fingers around his leaking cock and fist himself to completion, but he didn’t, not wanting to break the contact they had. He bit his bottom lip, closed his eyes and allowed his body to go pliant underneath Jared’s as Jared rocked into him. He felt Jared’s hand’s on his arms, pulling him up so he was sitting in Jared’s lap, impaled by his cock. He groaned at the feeling of being so full; of Jared splitting him open. “Jared,” he gasped out when Jared shifted, pulling him against his chest. 

Jared grabbed Jensen, pulled him up so Jensen was straddling his thighs, with his legs spread wide, giving him as much access to his body as possible, and then he trust up, hitting Jensen’s prostate dead on, making him gasp as pleasure radiated through his body. He felt Jensen wrap an arm around his neck, his fingers digging into the meat of his shoulder. Jensen’s other hand rested against his side, his fingers flexed against his body, keeping in time with his thrusts. He kissed along Jensen’s neck until he reached his lips, and nipped at Jensen’s plush bottom lip. “God, you feel so good, like you were meant for me,” he murmured. 

He felt Jared settle his hand on his ass, lifting him up, only to pull him back down on his cock. He tightened his grip on Jared and leaned in to rest his forehead against Jared’s as he raised himself up. “So close,” he moaned as Jared pulled him back down onto his cock. The angle was just right, and the pressure against his prostate drove him over the edge, wrenching his orgasm from him as he screamed Jared’s name. Through his shuddering as he came down from his orgasm, he felt Jared pressing him down against the mattress, Jared’s large hands bracketed his head as Jared fucked into him, hard and deep. Even through his haze, he tried to raise his hips up to meet Jared’s thrusts, to help push him over the edge. Jared’s movements became frenzied as he chased after his release and all he could do was hang on for the ride, his fingers digging into the flexing muscles of Jared’s back. He looked up at Jared, their eyes locking for a moment and he watched Jared’s eyes slip shut as he came, moaning his name.

Slowly, as to not hurt Jensen, he pulled out of him and then flopped down beside him on his side so that he was able to look at Jensen. He reached out and cupped Jensen’s cheek, turning him so Jensen was looking at him. He saw a contented smile on Jensen’s face, one that mirrored his own. He ran his thumb over Jensen’s kiss swollen lips, “Are you alright? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Jensen’s eyes widened as he realized what Jared had just asked him. “No, you didn’t. Why would you think that?”

He breathed a sigh of relief, happy to hear that in his frenzy to chase his orgasm, he hadn’t hurt Jensen. “I got caught up in the moment of being with you and lost my control.” He rolled over and sat up. “I’ll be right back,” he said as he stood up and walked into the bathroom only to return with a warm wet cloth to wipe Jensen down with. When that had been taken care of, he sat down on the bed. He placed a hand on Jensen’s chest, feeling the beat of his heart. His eyes slipped closed as the rhythm soothed him. He snapped his eyes open when he heard Jensen speaking to him. 

“H . . . how will it happen? What will you do? To . . . to turn me, I mean,” Jensen stuttered out, feeling apprehensive. He wanted to be with Jared, spend eternity with him if that was possible. He was just scared of the idea of dying.

“I'll make it as painless as possible,” Jared said as he reached for Jensen's hands. “I'll drink from you, drain you until you're nearly dry and then I'll give you my blood. You'll drink from me, and then the change will happen. The bite will heal to a faint marking, only those who have been turned will know what it means. For humans, the mixture of our saliva and blood heals them after we’ve fed from them, for those who are turned, it doesn’t because the flesh isn’t really alive anymore.” 

“Has it ever gone wrong?” Jensen asked worriedly. There was always a chance that something could happen. Jared could actually drink him dry if he wasn’t careful, they could be interrupted while Jared was turning him, or his body might fight what was happening to him. 

“Not that I've heard. If you're having second thoughts or you don't want this, it's alright,” Jared offered.

“No, I do want this, I want to be with you, be your mate,” Jensen assured him.

Jared pulled Jensen to him, resting one large hand between his shoulder blades, with the other cupping the back of his head, tilting it to the side. He kissed along the sensitive skin, peppering it with soft kisses, before he sank his razor sharp extended canines into Jensen's flesh. He felt Jensen tense in his grasp and he heard him yelp in pain. For a moment he thought about stopping as the knowledge that he was the source of Jensen's pain hit him. The thought was quickly pushed from his mind as the taste of Jensen's blood hit his tongue and he began to feed from him. 

Jensen dug his fingers into the meat of Jared's shoulders, crying out in pain as Jared's teeth cut into his flesh. Vaguely, he heard Jared moan, but it was soon drowned out by the rushing sound of his own blood on his ears. He felt Jared suckling against his neck, pulling his life’s blood from his body. He began to feel lightheaded as Jared’s suckling began to intensify. He could feel himself getting sluggish as his fingers began to slip from their hold on Jared. His body felt heavy and he was having a difficult time trying to work his lips. He had to force himself to form a single word as his lungs screamed for air. “Jared,” he managed to push past his lips as his hands slipped from Jared's body, hitting the mattress with a soft thud. He was cold, not even the heavy weight of Jared's body against his was keeping him warm. This must be what dying feels like, he thought to himself as his eyes slipped closed.

Jared felt the loss of Jensen's hands on his body as he fed from him. He could feel Jensen's once warm body growing cold as his heartbeat slowed to a barely audible sound. He pulled back from Jensen, and gently laid him against the pillows. He had to work fast before Jensen’s body gave out. He raised his left wrist to his mouth, and bit down, puncturing his own skin. He forced his bleeding wrist against Jensen’s colorless lips and watched as his blood pooled and began to run down the sides of his mouth. “Jensen, drink,” he demanded, he hadn't come this far only to lose his mate now. He used the fingers of his free hand to part Jensen's lips, watching as his blood ran into his mouth. “Please drink, Jensen. I can't lose you.” He felt fear bubbling up within himself, only to give way to a cry of relief when he felt Jensen's tongue prodding over the slowly healing puncture marks to lap at the now drying blood. “Thank God,” he murmured as his shoulders sagged with relief.

Jensen opened his eyes and blinked rapidly, trying to adapt to the change as Jared pulled his wrist away from his lips. “Jared,” he croaked out as he tried to raise his hands to touch the man next to him. His limbs felt like lead weights, too heavy to move even an inch. He ran his tongue over his lips, tasting the blood. He tried to speak again, but his throat was raw and all that came out was a strangled sound.

“Shh, give it some time before you try to speak or move,” Jared gently urged as he linked his hands with Jensen’s, sensing that he needed the comforting touch of his mate. “I’m right here with you, and I’m never going to leave you.” He watched as Jensen’s eyes slipped closed and a faint smile played over his lips. 

Jensen hummed in response and then sank into sleep, giving his body time to adjust to being turned from human to what he was now, a vampire.

Jared looked down at Jensen, his mate. They were mated, forever bonded to each other and he couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face. He let go of Jensen’s hands, pulled up the blanket to cover them and settled down next to him to wait for him to awaken. Jensen would need more of his blood to help him through the first few days, along with needing to feed from humans. He would need to arrange that with Christian, secure at least one or two donors that he could entrust Jensen’s feedings to.

Jared felt Jensen stirring next to him. He propped himself up on an elbow and waited until Jensen was fully awake to offer him more of his blood. He watched as green eyes turned to him, tracking him as he sat up, letting the blanket pool around his abdomen. “Hungry?” He watched as Jensen shook his head yes and then raised his wrist to his mouth, his canines breaking the skin before he offered it to Jensen. “Drink slowly,” he advised as Jensen latched on and began to suckle. 

When he had his fill, Jensen pulled back, letting go of his grip on Jared’s arm and licked his lips clean. “What happens now?” Jensen inquired as it dawned on him that neither of them had thought that far ahead.

“How do you feel about living here? Or, we could find someplace that suits us both,” Jared suggested. He pulled himself away from Jensen and disappeared into the bathroom to quickly freshen up before he got dressed. He returned to see that Jensen was sitting with his back against the headboard as he mulled over his suggestion. 

A smile spread across Jensen’s face, lighting up his eyes. “Here, we can live here. Can I still go to school?” He didn’t want to give up his dream, he had worked hard to get accepted into his Physical Therapy program. He hoped the answer would be yes, that there was a way he could continue to pursue his dream and make it a reality for himself.

Sensing Jensen’s fear and doubt, Jared cupped his face, tilting it up so they were looking at each other. “I would never deny you anything, beloved. It won’t be a walk in the park for you at first, but I’ll help you through your hunger and sensitivity to the sun. We’ll make it work so you won’t have to give up what you’ve set your sights on. You’ll feed before going to class. I’ll arrange for a trusted blood donor for you while you’re on campus. You’ll never go hungry, but you will have to be discreet.” Letting go of Jensen, he turned away, grabbed his clothes and dressed. He had a few calls still to make.

“Of course, I’ll follow whatever directions you give me. You’re my sire and my mate,” Jensen assured Jared.

“Say that again,” Jared coaxed playfully as he returned to sit on the bed next to Jensen.

“Sire or mate?” Jensen taunted.

“Jensen . . .”

“Yes, my mate?” Jensen asked as innocently as he could.

Jared rolled his eyes at Jensen. “Get up and get dressed. I’ll call the guys and then we’ll head over to pack up your stuff,” Jared said as he stood from the bed, ready to walk into the living room to grab his phone.

“Hey,” Jensen called, stopping him from leaving. “I don’t have much to pack, but where will we put it? My clothes . . .”

Jared turned back to Jensen, a sly smile on his face. “The second bedroom, if you feel the need to have your own space. There’s plenty of room in my, I mean our, bedroom closet for your clothes and we can share the office if you need it for school.”

“Second bedroom?” Jensen asked in bewilderment. “That night . . . you . . . your bed . . .”

“The night you stayed here, I wanted you in my bed, even if you were only sleeping. I couldn’t think past that, my mate in my bed. There was no way I would have been able to allow you to sleep anywhere else.” He braced himself for Jensen’s reaction, for his possible anger at hearing his admission. 

“Okay,” Jensen responded and then pushed himself from the bed to stand naked in front of Jared.

“You’re not angry?”

“No, I get it. We haven’t been mated long, but I understand. I feel the pull toward you, our bond and there’s no way I can be away from you for long. Will it always be like that?”

Jared shook his head. “It’s new so it’s intense, but it’ll get to a place where we can spend time apart without feeling that longing to constantly be close to each other.”

“Oh,” Jensen said, not able to hide the hint of sadness in his voice.

Jared closed the distance between them and pulled Jensen against his chest, so he was able to nose at his neck, and kissed the faint bite mark he had left. “You’re my mate, there will never be a time that I’m not longing to be with you.”

“Promise?” Jensen asked as he melted into Jared’s embrace.

“I promise,” Jared assured him as he broke their embrace. “Now go get ready.” He gave Jensen’s ass a playful slap as Jensen disappeared into the bathroom. He chuckled when he heard Jensen grumble. He walked into the living room and placed his calls. When he was done, he turned to find Jensen standing behind him, waiting to be filled in.

“Whenever you’re ready, we can head over to your apartment, pack your things up and then make this our apartment,” Jared offered. “Just remember to take things slowly. If things start to get to be too much for you, let me know. Everything will be new to you with your heightened senses. It will calm down after a while, you’ll adjust to them and to your hunger.”

“How? How can I control it, my hunger, everything?” 

“With time and practice, by not missing a feeding. If something happens, and I’m not with you, call me or one of the guys. One of us will always be there for you.” He saw fear in Jensen’s eyes and pulled him to him, kissing over the mark he had left when he had turned Jensen. It was faint, but there, showing those who knew what it meant that Jensen was mated. “This means you’re mine, that you have someone who will always care for you. If you need to, use that to anchor yourself with.”

Jensen let out a soft breath. “Okay, okay, I can do this. I’m ready. Let’s get my stuff,” he said as he pulled out of Jared’s hold and slid his hand into Jared’s, letting Jared lead him out of the apartment. 

Quietly, Jensen let himself into his soon to be former apartment, followed by Jared, Chad, Christian and Mike. He found Justin sitting on the couch and watched as Justin looked up from his book and paled when he saw who was with him. On the ride over, Jared had filled him in on the visit that Chad, Christian and Mike had paid him, and that Justin was aware of the existence of vampires. He had been fearful upon hearing that, but Jared had assured him that Justin wasn’t a threat to them.

“Justin,” Jensen started to say and stopped when Jared murmured to him that he and the others were going to pack up his room. He nodded and then turned his attention back to Justin.

Justin stood up, and dropped his book onto the couch. He studied Jensen for a moment and then frowned at him. Something was different about Jensen, he just couldn’t figure out what it was. “Is everything alright with you?” Justin questioned suspiciously.

“Yes,” Jensen responded.

“Are you sure?” Justin watched as Jensen shook his head yes.

Jensen gave Justin a smile, showing just a hint of his extending canines. He was just learning how to control himself around humans. “Thanks for letting me stay here when I needed it. I won’t forget that.”

Justin took a step back from Jensen when he realized the change in him. His eyes went wide in fear, “You’re . . . you’re . . .”

Jensen cut Justin off before he could say anything else. “Moving out to be with the one I was meant to be with?” Jensen coaxed and watched as Justin shook his head. Jensen took a step forward as he caught the sound of Justin’s rapid heartbeat. He licked his lips at the thought of sinking his teeth into that tender flesh and drinking his fill. He stopped himself from advancing, he needed to remember that Justin wasn’t one of those willing to offer their blood. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he glanced at it. A smile came to his lips at the touch of his mate and he stepped back into the offered embrace.

“Everything alright?” Jared questioned as he looked between the two men. He saw Justin shrink away from them and heard Jensen’s soft ‘Yes’, and watched as Justin just shook his head. “We’re not going to have a problem are we, Justin? You’re not going to say anything to anyone about us, right? It’s as much for your safety as ours if you keep this to yourself. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Y . . . yes,” Justin managed to stutter out.

“Good.” Jared gave Justin a dimpled smile before turning to Jensen, “Everything’s packed and we should get going. I’m guessing you’re hungry?” he asked, steering Jensen out of the apartment, followed by Chad, Mike and Christian as they carried out what little Jensen had. He got Jensen situated in his car before going over to his friends.

Chad looked up from placing the last of Jensen’s belongings in the trunk of his car. “Do you think Justin will keep his mouth shut?”

Jared looked up at the windows of Jensen’s old apartment building. “Yeah, I think he will. Can you take Jensen’s stuff back to my apartment? He needs to feed and I’m going to take him to the club. Christian’s arranged for a donor.”

“Sure no problem,” Mike answered for Chad and heard Chad scoff at him in annoyance. 

“Asshole,” Chad hissed at Mike. “We’ll take care of things, you take care of your mate.”

“I’ll meet you at the bar,” Christian called over his shoulder as he slid behind the wheel of his car. 

Jared waved at them as they pulled their cars away from the curb before he turned and joined Jensen. 

Jensen turned to look at Jared as he started the car. “Jared, I’m hungry,” he admitted softly. 

Jared took Jensen’s hand in his and kissed the back of it. He met Jensen’s gaze and saw the silent plea in them for Jared to take care of him, to protect him and provide for him. “We’ll be there soon, then you can feed.” He let go of Jensen’s hand to pull him into a kiss, only breaking it when Jensen squirmed in his seat, knowing the need to feed was becoming too great for Jensen to ignore.

He let go of Jensen and started the car, ready to start the short drive to the bar when he felt Jensen moving closer to him. He raised his arm, allowing Jensen to settle against him with Jensen’s head resting on his shoulder. He pulled the car away from the curb and heard Jensen whispering to him, ‘My mate, I love you’. He felt a thrill course through his body at hearing those words and having his mate next to him. He took his eyes off the road long enough to plant a kiss on the top of Jensen’s head. “I will always take care of you, beloved mate.” He heard Jensen’s contented hum in response and smiled. He had his mate and an eternity to spend with him. There wasn’t anything else he needed from this world.

He was complete.


End file.
